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SHORT HISTORICAL 



Notes on The Apocalypse, 



COMMONLY CALLED 



THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS. 



BY 



ANDREW BEATY, 




Copyright, 1895, by Andrew Beaty. 



SHORT HISTORICAL 



Notes on The Apocalypse, 



COMMONLY CALLED 



THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS. 



BY 



ANDREW BE AT Y, 
Mt. Vernon, Iowa. 




PREFACE. 



From internal evidence and the additional light of 
history this book was written between 64 and 68 A. 
D. in the reign of the emperor Nero. He committed 
suicide in 68, and being the last in the male line of 
the Julius Caesar dynasty, a peace which had lasted 
nearly a hundred years was broken by civil war about 
who should succeed him. The second seal, chapter 
6, opens the conflict. 

Beginning in 68, the fortunes of Christianity are 
followed, in connection with that of the nations with 
whose history it is interwoven, to the end. As 
prophecy is history, spoken or written in advance, 
its truth and fulfillment must be found in the record- 
ed acts of the people to whom it refers. As might 
be expected, the book is written on a clear and sys- 
tematic plan, just as an able and well-informed his- 
torian would chronicle the same events, after they 
had become accomplished facts. The latter refer to 
men, institutions and occurences by names that are 
generally known. The former has a nomenclature of 
its own, but its usage is uniform and is either ex- 
plained expressly or by the clearest implication. In 
other scriptures and in secular writings, when dwell- 
ing on great and exciting themes, the imagery em- 
ployed is not altogether unusual. As Christ and the 



IV 



PREFACE. 



first preachers were born, lived, labored and died in 
pagan Rome naturally the great crises in the church 
connected with its career are first noticed. Pagan 
Rome ends and Christian Rome begins at the end of 
chapter 8. Then great events in Christian Rome are 
described in chapter 9. Chapter 12 is in part a re- 
view of the persecutions and sufferings of the church, 
inflicted by pagan Rome and pagans from about 300 
A. D. up till about 750 when the German empire 
rose to a great power on the ruins of the Western 
Roman empire. That empire appears in chapter 13 
and also the rise of the papacy to be a great temporal 
and spiritual power is noted. From this point on to 
the end of time the thread of history is followed, 
gradually widening in its sweep until all the nations 
of the world are involved in the mighty political and 
religious convulsions which overthrow the evil insti- 
tutions of men and usher in the general judgment 
when many rise into eternal day, while others are 
doomed to everlasting night. It will be asked as it 
has been often asked before, "How do you know 
these prophecies mean what you say they do?" It 
might take more space to tell you how, than it has 
to show you that I do know. And then you might 
be as much a doubting Thomas respecting the proofs 
as you are about the conclusions. How do you 
know anything you profess to know? "Well, you 
thought it seemed or sounded like something you 
heard, saw or felt before, which someone else told 
you was true,' 5 That's just the way prophecy is un- 
derstood. It seems and sounds so much like the acts 
of men as recorded by many high authorities and be- 
ing like nothing else, we just conclude that's the 
place the prediction was fulfilled. Do you know of 
any better way how to know? Although it is sup- 



PREFACE. 



V 



posed proofs are found in the pamphlet of the con- 
clusions reached. They are necessarily brief, space 
being limited, and possibly imperfect— the reader is 
the judge. Yet it may be useful to give here a brief 
sketch how, in all probability, some people at least, 
may know something about the strange things de- 
picted in the book. 

As a preliminary, one should know that the four 
great ancient empires, Rome being last, are repre- 
sented in scripture and often in history, as ruling the 
Earth, World or every people under heaven. In 
keeping with this usage Rome, in the prophecy, is 
called "the earth." Now when you find the name 
earth in such a connection read u Roman empire," or 
in later prophecies, Italy the most ancient part of the 
empire. Next, it is quite a help to know that Christ, 
his disciples and all the first preachers were, as we 
understand the word, citizens of the Roman empire, 
were born, lived, labored and died in it. And also 
that the Gospel was not preached to any considerable 
extent outside that empire, or the territory originally 
embraced in it, up to the fifteenth century. John, 
who wrote the book, claims to have been a personal 
follower of Christ and witness of his acts, therefore 
the book was written in the first century, and what 
was written are said to be u The things which must 
be hereafter." They were at the time made 
known all in the future. That this information re- 
specting the future was communicated on the pictor- 
ial and symbolic plan, is readily seen. The features 
and make-up of many of the beast pictures are not 
found in any single known animal, but they are an 
adaptation in form and nature to the political history, 
divisions, constitution and general traits of the king- 
doms, empires, periods or religious institutions they 



VI 



PREFACE. 



symbolically represent. To the informed eye these 
pictures speak volumes, to the opposite nothing but 
confusion. The dramatic revelations made by angels 
and other actors on the theater of heaven, have a 
general resemblance to the earthly drama, with this 
difference, the former imitate in their acts, move- 
ments, attitudes and proclamations future scenes and 
characters, which would in future history appear as 
leading actors among men on earth, though as yet 
mostly unborn and unknown except in the mind of 
God, while the latter are confined to the reproduction 
of characters and things past or present. It is im- 
portant to note this peculiarity in the method of de- 
scribing future acts of men and institutions. And it 
proves a great help to get a glimpse of the meaning 
of these movements and pictures, to have a general 
acquaintance with all scripture and all history, an- 
cient and modern, sacred and profane, with which 
the prophecy deals. If not how can you know when, 
where or how fulfilled? As well think to measure 
the distance of the planets without the knowledge of 
the higher mathematics. Something else is impor- 
tant. It should be known that all those countries 
and great cities, where the center of the bloody bat- 
tles raged between truth and falsehood for many cen- 
turies, and is still waged, are distinguished by fixed 
symbolic names. By learning these names the an- 
gels or stars tell you where the bolt from heaven 
strikes and where the prophecy became a historical 
fact. The context informs you of the general nature 
of the crisis by pictures of seas and waters turned to 
blood, or in other forms in keeping with the period. 
Generally, also it gives the reason for the Divine dis- 
pleasure thus manifested. With these qualifications 
coupled with an honest purpose and a sound discrim- 



PREFACE. 



VII 



inating mind, it is more than probable you may learn 
something of the meaning of these prophecies. But 
if you should not for lack of qualification it is not fail- 
to conclude no one else can; as it would be a misno- 
mer to call that a revelation which nobody could un- 
derstand. The pictorial and dramatic method of de- 
scribing character or occurrences are the shortest, 
truest, most forcible and attractive. Probably this is 
one of the reasons why the drama attracts greater 
crowds than the pulpit — it is life like. Look for illus- 
tration at the four angels standing on the four cor- 
ners of the earth holding the four winds that they 
blow not on the earth nor on the sea, nor on any 
tree." Another angel having the seal of the living 
God cried with a loud voice to the four angels to 
whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, say- 
ing, "Hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees 
till we have sealed the servants of our God in their 
foreheads." This is the way the prophecy describes 
the period referred to. Now let us look how the his- 
torian tells it. He says, "After the period of an- 
archy between 260 and 284 Diocletian reigned alone 
in the empire for two years, when he associated with 
himself Maximian who was assigned the west half, 
with his capital at Milan. Six years afterward these 
two associated with themselves two more. Diocle- 
tian chose Galerius his son-in-law who was assigned 
the north corner of the earth or empire and Maxim- 
ian selected Constantius, who was given the west cor- 
ner on the Rhine. Thus after a long period of an- 
archy the four in the four corners of the empire each 
in command of a large army held the storm in check, 
co-operated, repelled Barbarian invasions, suppressed 
internal revolts, impartially executed the laws and 
maintained the integrity of the empire. But in 302 



VIII 



PREFACE. 



at a time of general peace aud returning prosperity, 
Galerius and Maximian conspired and persuaded Dio- 
cletion to join them in making one more effort to 
stamp out Christianity, which resulted in the most 
general and cruel massacres of the believers, who re- 
fused to abjure their faith in Christ in the history of 
pagan Rome and it not only hurt the empire as well 
as the people generally, but ruined the three persecut- 
ors, and shortly after resulted in the overthrow of 
pagan rule in Rome forever. The figurative lang- 
uage understood, the analogy between the angelic 
actors and the emperors is complete as far as the 
prophecy goes into details. That is true of all the 
prophecies in the book. But it may be asked as it 
has been asked, may not many occurrences in the 
history of nations be so much alike, any given proph- 
ecy might be applied to any one of them, with equal 
probability? They may be applied by persons of dif- 
ferent intelligence proceeding on different religious 
theories and plans of interpretation, as is proven by 
the conflicting opinions on the book, but all these 
views cannot be applied with equal certainty any more 
than three or four score of religious sects, all assum- 
ing to be founded on the scriptures are with equal 
certainty founded on what is taught in these scrip- 
tures. Some of these sects adopt the literal declara- 
tions of Christ as their creed, while the great majori- 
ty rest on human formulas, usages and traditions not 
found in the scriptures. The differences and difficul- 
ties are found in men and conflicting creeds not in the 
book. From the time the prophecy was given to 
what is called the general judgment is apparently 
about three thousand years. There are twenty-one 
distinct prophecies on an average one hundred and 
fifty years apart, relating to different races of men, 



PREFACE. 



IX 



different nations and empires, different actors under 
widely different circumstances with institutions dif- 
ferent, motives different, beginnings different, histor- 
ies, and endings different. No two men's pictures 
are alike; how much more unlike are great crises, rev- 
olutions and the rise and fall of empires? More than 
this the prophecy tells in every case the country or 
city which is thus visited. Also the context gives an 
outline of the effect of the visitation in question, often 
stating the . reason for it. Further, the prophecies 
follow the natural line of history one great event log- 
ically following the preceding in the same order as 
found in the history of that nation. If men are too 
indifferent or warped in their judgments, to notice 
these features, and fall into a historical and doctrinal 
muddle, it is their fault not the fault of the prophe- 
cies. Do you find the symbolic pictures in substance 
or detail alike or nearly alike? No. Four angels 
holding the four winds of the earth is nothing like a 
star falling from heaven and opening the bottomless 
pit. Neither is the angel flying through the midst 
of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to 
all nations, anything like the strong angel, with a 
great chain in his hand, to bind tne dragon devil and 
it is equally different with all the rest. And the dif- 
ference is still more marked as far as fulfilled in hu- 
man histoiy because the latter go into all the details 
of the event and period. For instance the most strik- 
ing outlines of the French Revolution is given in 
seven verses in chapter n, whereas Thomas Carlyle 
makes a book of 419 pages in telling the same story, 
in all its details. The best that can be done with 
any question outside the exact sciences is to furnish 
proofs which amount to what is called a moral certain- 
ty. Yet, admitting you have mastered the language 



X 



PREFACE. 



of the book, with its pictures and symbols in one 
hand and the history of the period in the other, it is 
not only possible, but often easy to discover the orig- 
inal. What skillful detective would exchange a good 
picture of a rogue that was wanted for a verbal de- 
scription of him even with his name? None. He 
might disguise himself, pass under numerous ficti- 
tious names but the picture with great certainty 
would identify him unless concealed from sight. So 
with these prophetic pictures, no two are alike and 
all are true to life in general outline and detail as far 
as they go. The book of Revelations is a rogues' 
gallery of the first class. Blasphemous, religious 
and political monsters whom church or state histor- 
ians or biographers laud to the heaven are brought to 
the foot lights in all their native ugliness and fiend- 
ish attributes as a startling object lesson to men and 
angels and finally cast into a lake of fire and brim- 
stone while those they had persecuted, tortured and 
murdered because refusing to receive their loathsome 
mark or worship their image, are crowned with im- 
mortal laurels. 

As in modern usage the name German is 
generally understood to refer to the people of 
the German empire, a word of explanation may be 
proper. In the remarks German or German nations 
means all those states, kingdoms or empires ruled 
over by Germans whether Latins, Germans, Celts or 
Slavonians predominate in their respective popula- 
tions. Old Germany is only one of the horns or 
kingdoms prophetically called the beast. It is one of 
the oldest and biggest of the ten, but only counts 
one. The name "sea" given to Germany in the 
prophecy seems to be founded on philological reasons. 
Deutcher, the ancient and proper name of the Ger- 



PREFACE. 



XI 



mans, means, people, and 4 "waters" in the prophecy 
means people. The sea is the greatest body of water 
and fountain of waters as Germany is the fountain of 
many nations and people, called "the father-land." 
All the names of cities, countries or characters in the 
prophecy are seen to be founded on their history, na- 
ture or conduct, either actual or in popular belief. 
Jerusalem is called the holy or beloved city from Bi- 
ble tradition; Vienna, around which raged the thirty 
years religious war and seven years war with 
Frederick the Great in which millions of men 
and animals were slain, and where in the proph- 
ecv "blood reached even to the horses' bridles", is 
called The City. Paris, in view of its actual and tradi- 
tional wickedness and religious darkness is "spiritual- 
ly called Sodom and Egypt." Rome is called Baby- 
lon the Great the mother of all abominations of the 
earth . Her Caesars were unmitigated tyrants who like 
those of old Babylon reveled in luxury and vice were 
gross idolators and set themselves up as gods as did 
their ancient prototypes. When the papacy made it 
the seat of temporal and spiritual authority it became 
more a babel than ever — a babel of idolatry, of relig- 
ious nonsense mixed with God-like pretensions of the 
old pagan Chaldeans. The Roman empire is called 
the Earth because of its great extent and power. 
Great events in Asia Minor are located by mention- 
ing the famous and most anciently known river Eu- 
phrates which runs through it. And the then little 
known regions in northeastern Europe and central 
Asia, from whence the barbarians issued that over- 
threw and occupied the western Roman empire, is 
called the Bottomless Pit evidently for reasons given 
elsewhere. Some think the bottomless pit is the syn- 
onym of Hell. That notion is absurd. Locusts, 



XII 



PREFACE. 



great armies of foot and horsemen, many nations, 
kingdoms and empires are represented as ascending 
out of the pit. Hell is a very unlikely place for so 
many people and nations to emigrate from into the 
Roman empire. Yet truth sounds stranger than fic- 
tion in many ears. A. B. 
Mount Vernon, Iowa, Nov. 11th, 1895. 



A FEW ERRORS. 



On page 10 the words and "lo a black horse," are 
dropped out of the text. 

At the beginning of a paragraph page 14 read "fu- 
ture history" in place of past history. 

In chapter 11, page 38, sixteenth line read "East- 
ern" empire instead of "Western" empire. 

Besides these, overlooked in proof-reading, a few 
unimportant errors are noticed but as they do not ser- 
iously impair the meaning intended, it is not worth 
while calling attention to them — perfection, especial- 
ly in such matters, is the rarest thing on earth. , 
These can all be corrected in getting out a new, en- 
larged and illustrated edition for which the present 
one paves the way. All things considered, it is 
thought the printer has done his or rather her work 
very well. The author is perfectly willing to should- 
er all defects. 



INDEX. 



Note. — Th'e following Index gives the chapters and pages 
where found, and when there is more than one prophecy in 
the chapter where it begins is found on some part of the page 
shown in the Index. The title of each is the same as in the 
text. 

PAGE 



Chapter I 1 

Introduction to the Prophecy. 

Chapters II and III .... . 2 

State of the Seven Churches of Asia. 

Chapter IV 3 

A Door opened in Heaven and the Prophet invited 
to come up hither and be shown the things which 
must shortly come to pass. 

Chapter V 5 

A Book seen Sealed with Seven Seals, in the Right 
Hand of Him that sat on the Throne. 

Chapter VI 7 

Christ opens the Seals of the Book. First Seal, be- 
hold a White Horse appeared. 

Second, behold a Red Horse. 8 

Third, a Black Horse appeared 9 

Fourth Seal, behold a Pale Horse 10 

Fifth Seal, Souls of Martyrs seen 12 

Sixth Seal, a Great Earthquake. 



XIV 



INDEX. 



PAGE 



Chapter VII 16 

Four Angels seen standing- on the Four Quarters of 
the Earth holding- the Four Winds of the Earth. 
Servants of God sealed in their Foreheads 17 

Chapter VIII •. 19 

The Seventh Seal opened. — Seven Angels given 

Seven Trumpets. — First Angel sounded 20 

Second Angel sounded 22 

Third Angel sounded 23 

Fourth Angel sounded 25 

Chapter IX 26 

A Star fell from Heaven and opened the Bottomless 
Pit. Locusts came out of the Smoke. — Sixth 
Angel sounded. — Four Angels bound in the great 
River Euphrates loosed 32 

Chapter X 37 

A Mighty Angel came down from Heaven and 
Planted his I^eft Foot on the Earth and his Right 
upon the Sea with a little Open Book in his hand. 

Chapter XI 38 



The lease of the Mohammedan Empire indirectly- 
stated. — The period and effect of the great 
Church Apostacy shown under the figure of God's 
Two Witnesses Prophesying in Sackcloth 1260 
days and then Killed by the Beast from the Bot- 
tomless Pit, three and a half days 

The Seventh Angel sounded. — A glimpse at the 
last soundings of the Trumpet 



39 
43 



INDEX. 



XV 



PAGE 



Chapter XII 



44 



A Great Wonder appeared in Heaven, a Woman 
clothed with the Sun, the Moon under her feet, 
and a Crown of Twelve Stars on her head. — An- 
other Wonder in Heaven, a Great Red Drag-on 
with Seven Heads and Ten Horns and Seven 
Crowns upon his heads. 



A Beast comes up out of the Sea having- Seven 
Heads and Ten Horns and Ten Crowns on his 
horns, his Body like a Leopard, his Feet like a 
Bear and his Mouth like that of a Lion. — Anoth- 
er Beast seen coming up out of the Earth and he 
had Two Horns like a Lamb and spake as a Dra- 
g-on , 55 



An Angel seen flying through the midst of Heaven 
having the Everlasting Gospel to preach to every 
Nation under Heaven. — One seated on a White 
Cloud Reaps the Earth, for the Harvest is ripe. . . 61 
Another Angel with a Sharp Sickle Gathers the 
Clusters of the Vine of the Earth and casts them 
into the Wine-press and Blood came out of it even 
up to the Horses' Bridles 64 



Seven Angels having the Seven East Plagues are 
seen and those who had gotten the Victory over 
the Beast and his Image and over the Number of 
• his Name. 



Chapter XIII 



49 



Chapter XIV 



59 



Chapter XV 



7(» 



XVI 



INDEX. 



PAGE 



Chapter XVI 71 

First Angel poured his Vial upon the Earth. — Sec- 
ond Angel poured his Vial on the Sea. 72 

Third poured his Vial on the Rivers and Fountains 

of Waters 76 

Fourth poured his Vial upon the Sun 83 

Fifth poured his on the Seat of the Beast 87 

Sixth poured his on the Great River Euphrates. . 88 
Seventh and last poured his Vial on the Air, and 
there was a Great Earthquake such as was not 
since men were upon the Earth 94 

Chapter XVII 97 

The Mystery of the Bad Woman drunk with the 
Blood of the Saints, and of the Ten Horned Beast 
on which she was seated explained to the Prophet 
by the Ang-el. 

Chapter XVIII. 103 

The matchless Extravagence, Wickedness and utter 
Destruction of Babylon the Great vividly des- 
cribed. 

Chapter XIX 105 

Great Rejoicing in Heaven over the Destruction of 
Babylon the Great, and the near Triumph of the 
Saints. — Heaven opens and Christ seen with 
many Crowns on his Head followed by the Armies 

which were in Heaven 107 

An Angel seen standing in the Sun calls the 
Fowls of heaven to a Supper on the Kings of 

the earth and their Armies 109 

The Beast and False Prophet cast into a Lake 
Burning with Fire and Brimstone. 



INDEX. 



XVII 



PAGE 



Chapter XX 114 

An Angel comes down from Heaven with a great 
Chain in his hand and Binds the Drag-on Devil, 
Casts him into the Bottomless Pit and Seals him 

up a Thousand Years. — First Resurrection 118 

Gog and Magog Destroyed 119 

And the Dragon Devil which Deceived them also 
Cast in the Lake of Fire. 

The Sea, Death and Hell give up their Dead and 

the Judgment sits. . 127 

Death and Hell and those not found written in the 
Book of Life cast into the Lake of Fire 128 

Chapter XXI 131 



A New Heaven and a New Earth appear. — That 
the Saints will Inherit the Earth a Bible doctrine 
Remarks about Times Prophetic 



134 
136 



Revelation of St. John. 



CHAPTER I. 



HIS chapter is in the nature of an introduction 



JL and is styled the revelation of Jesus Christ 
which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants 
things which must shortly come to pass, and he sent 
and signified it by his angel and his servant John . The 
latter describes himself as follows: I John, who also 
am your brother and companion in tribulation and in 
the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the 
isle called Patmos for the word of God and testimony 
of Jesus Christ. I was in the spirit on the Lord's 
day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trum- 
pet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega the first and the 
last, what thou seest write in a book and send it unto 
the seven churches in Asia, unto Ephesus, Smyrna, 
Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodi- 
cea. In turning to the voice that spake with him, 
he saw seven golden candlesticks and in the midst of 
them one like unto the "Son of man" of glorious pres- 
ence. And he had in his right hand seven stars and 
out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword; and 
his countenance was as the sun shineth in his 
strengh. He said, Fear not I am the first and the 
last; he that liveth and was dead and behold I am 




2 



NOTES ON 



alive forever more. Write the things thou hast seen; 
the things which are and the things which shall be 
hereafter. In verse 20 the mystery of the seven stars 
in his right hand and of the seven golden candle- 
sticks is explained. l 'The seven stars which thou 
sawest in my right hand are the angels of the seven 
churches and the seven candlesticks the seven 
churches." That is, the seven stars mean the same 
as the seven angels or elders in charge of the churches 
and the seven candlesticks the seven churches. The 
reader should note this since the movements of 
angels and stars in this grand drama of the future re- 
semble the movements of the chief actors at different 
periods in the future history of the church, of nations 
and of men; often furnishing a clew to their identity. 
It is said a two-edged sword went out of Christ's 
mouth. This figurative use of a sword is quite com- 
mon in scripture signifying a proclamation of the 
word of God, which the apostle says is sharper than 
any two-edged sword. 

CHAPTERS II AND III. 
A I ^HESE two chapters need no comment as they 



1 are devoted mainly to a declaration of existing 
facts at the time the prophecy was given relating to 
the doctrinal, moral and spiritual state of the seven 
churches. Their character is described in detail. 
Each is given instruction suited to their condition, all 
are exhorted to return to their first love and to hold 
fast their integrity, for which they would receive 
great reward. If not their candlesticks would be re- 
moved out of their places. As these churches were 
included in what is known as the Eastern Church, 




THE APOCALYPSE. 



3 



history proves if they ever did repent and reform they 
backslid again badly. If they had not, the Moham- 
medans would not have had their heel on their necks 
for the last thousand years. 



'HIS chapter is chiefly devoted to a description of 



the personal and imposing appointments in the 
sublime drama of the earth's future history enacted on 
the stage of heaven to be reproduced by men and na- 
tions most of whom at that time existed only in the 
mind of God. 

Verse i. "After this I looked and behold a door 
was opened in heaven and the first voice which I 
heard was, as it were, of a trumpet which said, Come 
up hither and I will show thee things which must be 
hereafter. And immediately I was in the Spirit and 
behold a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the 
throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a 
lasper and a sardine stone and there was a rainbow 
around the throne like unto an emerald." The de- 
scription continues "there were about the throne four 
and twenty elders, clothed in white and crowns of 
gold on their heads. Out of the throne came light- 
nings, thunderings and voices and before it there was 
a sea of glass like unto crystal. Round about the 
throne were four creatures full of eyes before and be- 
hind. The first was like a lion, the second like a 
calf, the third had a head like a man and the fourth 
like a flying eagle. Each had six wings full of eyes 
within: and they rest not day nor night, saying Holy, 
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty which was and is to 
come. And when these creatures give glory to him 



CHAPTER IV. 




4 



NOTES ON 



that sat on the throne the four and twenty elders fall 
down and worship him that liveth forever and for- 
ever, saying Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive 
glory and honor and power for thou hast created all 
things and for thy pleasure they are and were creat- 
ed." In this symbolic book everything the prophet 
saw or heard is intended to teach men some truth, 
describe some important event, institution or national 
characteristic relating to this earth. We are not al- 
ways able to fully apprehend what is meant, chiefly on 
account of our ignorance or inattention. As the four 
and twenty elders say to Christ "Thou hast redeemed 
us to God by thy blood out of every nation." They 
with golden crowns represent the millions yet to be 
redeemed. Also the four creatures likened to the 
four principal divisions of the animal kingdom, full 
of eyes before and behind and within constantly at- 
tending and praising their Almighty King and Cre- 
ator, may signify that the whole creation is a song of 
praise to his power, wisdom and goodness. Such a 
thought seems to be uttered in the 13th verse of the 
next chapter, — where it is said, And every creature 
which is in heaven and on the earth and under the 
earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in 
them heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory 
and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne 
and unto the Lamb, forever and forever. A descrip- 
tion of similar creatures is found in Isaiah 6th chap- 
ter and in Kzekiel 1st chapter. In the latter instance 
they seemed to bear up the chariot of Jehovah seated 
on a throne on one set of their wings and veil his 
glory with the other. Being full of eyes without and 
within may figuratively imply the omniscience of Him 
whose throne and majesty they constantly surround; 
such seems to be the explanation in chapter 5, 6th verse 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



5 



where it is said the seven eyes seen in the Lamb are 
the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 

CHAPTER V. 

I SAW in the right hand of him that sat on the 
throne a book written within and on the back- 
side sealed with seven seals. An angel proclaimed, 
Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the 
seals thereof? No man in heaven nor in the earth 
nor under the earth was able to open the book nei- 
ther to look therein. One of the elders said unto 
him W T eep not. Behold the Lion of the tribe of Ju- 
dah the root of David hath prevailed to open the 
book and to loose the seals thereof. And lo in the 
midst of the throne and of the four creatures and in the 
midst of the elders stood a Lamb as if it had been slain. 
And he came and took the book out of the right 
hand of Him that sat upon the throne. When he 
had taken the book the four creatures and four and 
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having 
every one of them harps and golden vials full of 
odors, which are the prayers of saints; — here is found 
the literal meaning of odors or incense. And they 
sung a new song, saying Thou art worthy to take the 
book and to open the seals thereof for thou wast 
slain and hast redeemed us unto God out of every na- 
tion and people. And hast made us unto God priests 
and kings and we shall reign on the earth. Here 
millions of angels and saints joined the elders and 
every creature in heaven or in earth or in the sea 
joined in the song with a loud voice, saying Worthy 
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, 
wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing." A 



6 



NOTES ON 



book produced is an adaptation to our manner of get- 
ting knowlege. It in itself suggests to us some in- 
formation on some subject. Here the book is the 
symbol of information about the future acts of men 
and nations centuries hence. Of course no man was 
found able to impart the information it contained, as 
God alone, or those to whom he reveals it, can tell 
what men yet unborn will do. Christ was able and 
this book is the proof. The seven seals opened in 
succession briefly portray seven distinct and well 
marked periods in pagan Rome called the earth. This 
revelation seems to be made in the form of a drama, 
the actors being in part personal and part pictorial. 
First, a throne was set in heaven and on it sat the 
Eternal, wrapped in a halo of effulgent light and 
glory. Around this center all the actors aud scenes 
move. In the midst of the throne Christ also ap- 
pears; first, in the emblem of a Lamb. He opens the 
seals of the book and discloses their contents through 
the medium of divers actors and imagery. From 
time to time also, on the eve of some great event, he 
appears on the stage,. in white, as a conquering king 
until all enemies are overthrown and the dragon 
death, hell, the beast and the false prophet are cast 
into a lake burning with fire and brimstone; signify- 
ing their utter and everlasting destruction. His part 
is that of the crowned king of saints and commander- 
in-chief .of "armies that are in heaven." The choir 
is composed of elders, millions of saints, angels and 
the whole universe, whose loud praise to their Al- 
mighty King, Creator and Redeemer sound through 
the dome of heaven like mighty thunderings and the 
voice of many waters. Angels act as prompters be- 
hind the scene, act in the role of earthly potentates, 
as nuncios, heralding successive acts by loud procla- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



7 



mation; sounding of trumpets or pouring vials of 
wrath on the earth, the sea, the rivers and fountains 
of waters, on the sun, on the seat of the beast, on the 
river Euphrates and on the air; also take part in bat- 
tle scenes against the dragon, devil, serpent and sa- 
tan. Fabulous monsters play their part and are tum- 
bled out of heaven to the earth or into a lake of fire 
and brimstone. Mighty earthquakes, thunderings, 
voices, lightnings and great hail shake the heavens 
and the earth, the sun veils his face in darkness, the 
moon turns to blood and the stars fall from heaven 
like untimely figs shaken to the earth as by a mighty 
wind. Mountains and every island are moved out of 
their places while terrified sinners vainly seek to hide 
themselves in the clefts of the rocks from the face of 
Him that sitteth upon the throne. These are sub- 
lime scenes of acting and imagery, yet every one of 
them will be or has been reproduced on earth among 
men and nations in a materialized form. 



CHAPTER VI. 

VERSES 1-2. "And when he opened the first 
seal behold a white horse and he that sat on 
him had a bow and a crown was given unto him and 
he went forth conquering and to conquer." White, 
in chapter 19 verse 8, is explained to mean the right- 
eousness of the saints; also Christ appears in this 
color as an emblem of purity. The text declares he 
will go forth conquering unto conquer, till all ene- 
mies are put under his feet. These different colored 
horses are used to indicate about the same things as 
flags of like colors are now used. This fact together 
with the equipment of their riders and power or in- 



8 



NOTES ON 



struction given the latter, very distinctly point to the 
period of history to which they refer. 

3-4. And when he had opened the second seal 
there went out another horse which was red and pow- 
er was given him that sat thereon to take peace from 
the earth that they should kill one another and there 
was given unto him a great sword." As has been 
said, when the word "earth or world" is used in con- 
nection with any of the four great ancient empires 
their meaning is restricted to the limits of their king- 
doms. Rome, it is said, was the mistress of the 
world and ruled the whole earth. Strictly speaking, 
neither Rome nor the preceding great empires ever 
ruled over an eighth part of the earth or world. All 
that can be claimed in this sense is they in the 
heigth of their power conquered every people within 
striking distance. It is said by the Evangelists that 
a decree went forth from Augustus Caesar that all the 
world should be taxed. Though earth in this place 
may mean the whole Roman empire, in later prophe- 
cies it is often used to distinguish Italy the ancient 
part of the empire, from the parts north of the Alps. 
The peace here mentioned began when Octavius, af- 
terwards called Augustus Caesar, defeated Markus An- 
tonius, ruler of the east, and Cleopatra, queen of 
Egypt, at the battle of Actium, 31 B. C. It lasted 
till 68 A. D. when Nero, the last in the male line of 
the dynasty of Julius Caesar, committed suicide. As 
the commanders of the three or four great armies 
kept on the frontiers and prominent men at the capi- 
tal aspired to the succession civil war broke out, 
and legion was pitted against legion in support of 
the claims of their favorites. After many bloody 
battles and some half a dozen candidates for the # pur- 
ple had been assassinated or otherwise put out of the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



9 



way, Vespasian, an Asiatic commander, secured 
the prize. The civil war lasted three years. That 
hundred years of peace is one of the most noted per- 
iods in history. During it Christ was born, lived, 
and died; during it the Gospel was first preached, and 
during it most of the Apostles perished. Peace tak- 
en from the empire in 68 approximately fixes the 
year in which the prophecy was written. John like- 
ly fled to the isle of Patmos to escape death in 64 
when a great massacre of Chistians occurred in Rome 
consequent of the destruction of half the city by fire. 
Possibly he was banished to that place. Therefore, 
as it was written before the peace was broken by civil 
war in 68, it must have been written between 64 and 
68. Prophets had prophesied and poets had sung 
that in the days of the Messiah there would be abun- 
dance of peace. And the Evangelist says all the 
world was at peace. Having determined the year 
when the prophet takes up the thread of future his- 
tory, it is only necessary to follow it and watch for 
the originals of the heavenly pictures. Also during 
this red horse period, Jerusalem w r as destroyed in 70 
A. D. It is said a million Jews perished in the re- 
bellion against Roman authority and the remain- 
der were dispersed. Vespasian was an old man rul- 
ing only about twelve years. His son Titus suc- 
ceeded him and died in about two years. In his 
short reign another conflagration destroyed the best 
part of the city. Also the cities of Herculaneum and 
Pompeii were destroyed by an eruption of Mt. Vesu- 
vius. Domitian, a younger son of Vespasian, be- 
came emperor, proving himself a cruel profligate. 
He decreed another persecution of the Christians but 
his career was cut short by assassination in 98 A. D. 
5-6. And when he had opened the third seal I 



IO 



NOTES ON 



beheld and he that sat on him had a pair of balances 
in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of 
the four creatures say, A measure of wheat for a pen- 
ny and three measures of barley for a penny, and see 
thou hurt not the oil and the wine. This symbol in- 
dicates from the balances in the hand of the rider a 
period of firm, just government. Black is the color 
of the robes of justice, and balances the symbol of a 
just administration of law, and as the rider was in- 
structed not to hurt the oil or the wine, it signifies a 
time of prosperity and plenty as compared with other 
reigns in those times. Such a period, of about sev- 
enty years duration, began in 98 and lasted until 
about 165, including the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian, 
Antoninus and a few years of Aurelius. The ex- 
ception was another revolt of the Jews in 130. An- 
toninus was the celebrated stoic philosopher, emperor 
and moralist distinguished for his high sense of jus- 
tice, forbearance and moderation. That period was 
known among Romans as the Antonionan period from 
its great felicity, peace and prosperity. 

7-9. And when he had opened the fourth seal I 
heard the voice of the fourth creature say, Come and 
see. And I looked and behold a pale horse and his 
name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed 
with him and power was given unto them over the 
fourth part of the earth to kill with sword and with 
hunger and with the beasts of the earth. Antoninus 
was succeeded by Aurelius, but a crisis in the affairs 
of the empire had arrived. A train of unparalleled 
calamities followed in quick succession. The army 
of the West in returning from a campaign against 
the Parthians brought back with it seeds of the 
plague. Tens of thousands in the Italian quarter, 
here called the fourth, died with it. At the same 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



I I 



time years of scarcity and famine happened, hunger 
multiplied the victims of the destroyer. As might be 
expected in this hour of national disaster, the barbar- 
ians on every side broke into the empire, ravaging 
and destroying frontier settlements. The army, sick, 
spiritless, and dying from the plague, had to march 
against the savages. Bloody and indecisive battles, 
in successive campaigns in winter and summer, were 
fought against a powerful confederation of barbarous 
tribes. In some instances the Romans were worsted 
and none were decisive. To add to the horrors of 
the time, the superstitious and terror-strcken pagans 
conceived the idea that these calamities were proofs 
of the anger of the national gods at the toleration 
shown, and widening influence of Christians in high 
places and low. To appease their wrath by crushing 
the hated, unlawful Jewish sect, a sacrifice was de- 
manded. As a consequence the horrors of death and 
hell by famine, war, and plague were multiplied by 
the most wide-spread butcheries of the believers yet 
experienced, took place. "Beasts of the earth" liter- 
ally mean the brutal murderers of these defenceless, 
innocent people. Aurelius, sick and worn out, died 
in 1 80 while engaged in a hand to hand struggle 
with the northern barbarians on the Danube. A 
worthless son of a worthless mother took his place. 
He was soon assassinated when another struggle for 
the imperial office followed. The legions of the 
north proved victorious and made Septimus Severus 
their commander emperor. From this time on, the 
Roman emperors were of barbarian parentage rarely 
visiting Rome the old capital. Severus ruled long 
and well with a firm hand until he died in 211. His 
two sons proved desperate characters, the elder poin- 
arded the younger and he soon met a similar fate. 



12 



NOTES ON 



For some time nothing occurred of a marked charac- 
ter. Short reigns, conspiracies, and the murder of 
rivals marked the period. Since the time of Aure- 
lius, no general onslaught on Christians had occurred 
because the rapid succession of emperors kept them 
otherwise occupied. 

9-1 1. And when he had opened the fifth seal I 
saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain 
for the word of God and the testimony which they 
held. And they cried with a loud voice, How long, 
O Lord holy and true, dost thou not avenge our 
blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white 
robes were given unto every one of them. And it 
was said unto them they should rest yet for a little 
season until their fellow-servants, also their brethren 
should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." 
Only the great events in history intimately related to 
the rise and fortunes of Christianity are noted in the 
prophecy. These words were put into the mouths of 
the martyrs during a respite of nearly one hundred 
years from anything like a general attack decreed by 
the emperors. Those pending trials for which the 
already killed were asked to wait for a little season, 
occurred under the emperor Decius, 250. Immedi- 
ately after, a terrible retribution was inflicted for the 
untold numbers of Christians that had fallen victims 
to pagan superstition and cruelty in the previous two 
hundred years. And as is very common, the mon- 
sters in human form inflicted vengeance on each 
other. It is described as follows: 

12-17. And I beheld when he had opened the 
sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and 
the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the 
moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell 
unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untime- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



J 3 



ly figs when skaken by a mighty wind. And the 
heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together 
and every mountain and island were moved out of 
their places. And the kings of the earth' and the 
great men and the rich men and the chief captains 
and the mighty men and every bondman and every 
freeman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks 
of the mountains. And said to the mountains and 
rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him 
that sitteth upon the throne and from the wrath of 
the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is come and 
who shall be able to stand ? The period of Roman 
history, so strikingly described in lofty imagery, is 
known in history as "The reign of the thirty tyrants." 
That period of anarchy in its worst forms lasted 
nearly forty years. For a much longer time, how- 
ever, disregard of law and authority generally pre- 
vailed. After the death of Septimus Severus in an, 
reigns were brief and none of the emperors died a 
natural death. All were slain in mutinies or by 
assassins. About 235 the bedlam described in the 
text broke loose and lasted until 284. The whole 
empire was shaken from end to end in a continuous 
conflict of army against army, province against prov- 
ince, and usurper against usurper for the imperial 
office. None or few of them ever saw Rome or exer- 
cised authority beyond their own camps, and even 
there many of them were slain. Of course an un- 
bridled soldiery, making and unmaking emperors in 
rapid succession, ravaged the country, despised all 
authority, civil, military, or religious, and spread ter- 
ror, ruin, and death among the millions of unarmed 
and unprotected men, women, and children. For 
years the Roman senate had been a mere figure-head; 
all authority emanated from the emperors, who at this 



NOTES ON 



period were all of barbarian parentage, having risen 
to some distinction in the Roman armies, which were 
also chiefly of barbarian birth. And as there were 
no emperors put forth that were respected and as sev- 
eral were asking recognition at the same time, politi- 
cal, social, military, and religious chaos reigned su- 
preme. Naturally, as in similar reigns of anarchy, 
everyone not battling for some favorite upstart, hid 
themselves in the dens or the rocks and mountains 
to save their lives, and property if they had any left. 
And like all conscience-smitten sinners, in this hour 
of matchless blackness, peril, and death, they vainly 
sought to hide themselves from the judgments of 
God. In the two hundred years past they had 
scourged, robbed, and murdered untold numbers of 
men, women, and children for obeying the word of 
God and for the testimony they bore of Christ. 
These refused to worship gods of gold, silver, brass, 
and stone or observe their debasing rites. Now 7 the 
hour to avenge their blood on them that dwell in the 
empire had come. 

As this past history of the great events in the 
world for three thousand years from the time it was, 
was dictated by Omniscience, John acting merely as 
recorder, it must be expected that the imagery in 
which it is expressed is not only well chosen but sys- 
tematically used. What a given metaphor or symbol 
means in one place it means substantially the same 
in all other places. For instance, here "a great 
earthquake" is the signal for the breaking out of an- 
archy in the empire and the overturning of all auth- 
ority, similar to the wreck and ruin and loss of life 
wrought by a great earthquake in the earth. The 
comparison, is implied not formally expressed. Such 
phenomena in other parts of the book uniformly im- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



J 5 



plies great social, religious or political commotion on 
earth at the time the prophecy is fulfilled. And the 
same is true of all others employed. And lo says the 
prophet the sun became black as sackcloth of hair. 
The sun is the center of our planetory system, holding 
lesser bodies in their respective spheres, also the 
source of light and heat. In like manner the imper- 
ial goverment of Rome, which ruled over many king- 
doms and provinces, was the center of power and 
authority, but as during the reign of anarchy there 
was no central authority, the sun used as its symbol 
became a blank — black as chaotic night. As the 
moon is an inferior orb and appears to us to wax and 
wane, it is used here from its bloody aspect, to signi- 
fy a conflict between warring religious faiths. De- 
cius and Aurelian who came to the front for a mo- 
ment, thought to mend things and propitiate the fa- 
vor of offended gods by a fierce attack on the forbid- 
den sect of national god haters. Decius was soon 
killed, however, in battle with the terrible Goths 
now for the first time appearing on the scene to swell 
the tide of bloodshed, terror, and devastation. Stars 
are very commonly used as metaphors or compari- 
sons. They are chosen generally to describe or des- 
ignate distinguished lights or persons in any branch 
of knowledge, occupation or profession. Here their 
falling to the earth as figs shaken by a mighty wind 
shows the utter collapse of all civil and military 
authority in the empire. And as the heaven or 
heavens contain all things — sun, moon and stars, its 
departure as a scroll when it is rolled together, im- 
plies that all law and authority from the throne to a 
constable, from the pontiff to the lowest priest, from 
the governors of provinces to the tax-gatherers and 
from the commander-in-chief to a corporal had de- 



r6 



NOTES ON 



parted and been laid aside like a rolled-up scroll in 
this most terrible convulsion of unbridled savages. 
Heaven is frequently used as a figure of exalted sta- 
tion, commanding position, or influence in earthly 
affairs. "Every island and mountain were moved 
out of their places." Mountains are not much used 
as similes because ordinary men cannot handle them. 
In sublime diction, in poetic flights of the prophets 
they leap, islands sing and the little hills skip and clap 
their hands. In Daniel, chapter 2, Christ's kingdom 
is called a mountain growing until it fills the whole 
earth. Here mountains and islands moving out of 
their places figuratively describes the condition of the 
provinces and kingdoms which composed the empire 
during the period of anarchy when the governors and 
commanders of the armies, uncontrolled by central 
authority, were in arms against each other to place 
themselves or local favorites on the throne. Every 
department were moved out of their places in the 
fratricidal strife. Diocletian, a soldier on the Dan- 
ube, struck the winning blow by running his sword 
through one of the last of his rivals and procuring 
the assassination of the other, in 284 A. D. and main- 
tained his position. 



ERSES 1-3. And after these things I saw four 



V angels standing on the four quarters of the earth 
(empire) holding the four winds of the earth that the 
winds should not blow on the earth nor on the sea 
nor on any tree. And I saw another angel coming 
from the east having the seal of the living God, and 
he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom 



CHAPTER VII. 




THE APOCALYPSE. 



!7 



it was given to hurt the eartli and the sea. Saying 
hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees, till 
we have sealed the servants of our God in their fore- 
heads. And I heard the number of them that were 
sealed and they were a hundred and forty-four thou- 
sand of all the tribes of Israel; and in addition, verse 
9, I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man 
could number, of all nations and kindreds and people 
and tongues stood before the throne and before the 
Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their 
hands. 10. And they cried with a loud voice saying 
Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne 
and unto the Lamb. n. And all the angels stood 
around the throne and about the elders and the four 
creatures and fell before the throne on their faces and 
worshipped God; 12. Saying Amen, blessing and 
glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and 
power and might be unto our God forever and for- 
ever, amen. 13. And one of the elders answered, 
saying unto me What are these who are arrayed in 
white robes and whence come they? 14. And I said 
unto him Thou knowest. And he said unto me 
These are they that come out of great tribulation and 
have washed their robes and made them white in the 
blood of the Lamb. 15. Therefore are they before 
the throne of God and serve him day and night in 
his temple and he shall feed them and dwell among 
them. They shall neither hunger nor thirst any 
more, for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne 
shall feed them and shall lead them unto living foun- 
tains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears 
from their eyes. 

This prophecy may be fitly called the reign of the 
four emperors, the like of which, in all respects, never 
occurred before or after in the history of Rome or 



i8 



NOTES ON 



any other nation. It is a most remarkable prophecy 
and in the most striking manner shows how perfectly 
all these actors in this sublime drama performed the 
part assigned by the divine manager seated on the 
throne. These four angels apparently holding the 
winds or storms in the four corners of the empire for 
the period decreed, during which the servants of God 
were sealed in their foreheads, personated Diocletian, 
Maximian, Galerius and Constantius all ruling at the 
same time in perfect harmony, each stationed in dif- 
ferent corners of the empire. They were linked to- 
gether as former comrades in arms, by marriage ties, 
mutual good will and support in emergencies. Dio- 
cletian shared this honor and power with the three 
others voluntarily, unlike any emperor or king before 
him or after him. It is a strange prophecy represent- 
ing a strange epoch in government especially in that 
of Rome. After the suppression of anarchy Diocle- 
tian ruled for two years alone. In 286 he associated 
with himself Maximian and assigned to him the west- 
ern half of the empire, with his capital at Milan. 
This continued for six years when in 292 they con- 
cluded to appoint tw T o more. Diocletian chose Gal- 
erious assigning him the north quarter or corner of 
the empire in what was called Pannonia and other 
provinces with his capital near where the city of 
Vienna now stands and Maximian chose Constantius, 
giving him the west, who established his capital at 
Treves on the Rhine. Nicomedia in Asia Minor be- 
came the capital of Diocletian. That was the ar- 
rangement the four angels, as actors, impersonated. 
Four full emperors supported by four powerful armies 
held the winds or storms from barbarians without or 
rebellions within with a firm hand. Pretenders, now 
were mercilessly crushed and the threatening savages 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



19 



from every quarter vigorously punished. But it is 
said another angel cried with a loud voice to the four 
acting in the role of the emperors to whom it was 
given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying "Hurt 
not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till we have 
sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." 
This the emperors strictly observed. They main- 
tained the integrity of the empire, sought to promote 
the welfare of the people generally and did not mo- 
lest the christians, metaphorically designated from 
the mass of the population by "trees. 1 ' The earth 
signifies the empire; the sea, the population in gener- 
al, see chapter 17 verse 15 for meaning of waters. 
Although eventually led by the impulses of a de- 
praved pagan nature, and ignorance, they hurt all 
these and three of them ruined themselves, yet count- 
ing from the accession of Diocletian in 284, they 
ruled well for eighteen years. Sealing in the fore- 
head can mean nothing save approved and accepted 
of God for unswerving fidelity to the truth and an 
open profession and practice of Christianity though 
poverty, public reproach, and death should be the 
consequence. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

\7 ERSES 1-5. And when he had opened the 
V seventh seal there was a brief silence in heav- 
en. And I saw the seven angels which stood before 
God and to them were given seven trumpets. And 
another angel came and stood at the altar and there 
was gi.ven unto him much incense that he should 
offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden 
altar which was before the throne. And the smoke 



20 



NOTES ON 



of the incense which came with the prayers of the 
saints ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 
And the angel took the censor and filled it with fire 
of the altar and cast it into the earth and there were 
voices and thunderings and lightening and an earth- 
quake. This, the seventh seal is divided into seven 
periods of history announced by sounding them in 
succession. The action of the angel that had a cen- 
sor filled with incense is an allusion to a custom in 
the Jewish temple and is a symbol of the ascending 
prayers of saints to God. But his filling the censor 
with fire of the altar, another allusion to temple ser- 
vice, has a different reference. It was the custom to 
slay the victim and sprinkle the altar with a portion 
of the blood while the remainder was poured out at 
the foot of the altar. Then a portion of the remains 
were consumed by fire. Filling the censor with fire 
of the altar used for sacrifices and casting it into the 
earth signified a great pouring out of blood and a sac- 
rifice by fire was about to be offered on the altar of 
faith in God. 7. The first angel sounded and there 
followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they 
were cast upon the earth and the third part of trees 
was burned up and all green grass was burned up." 
Trees and green grass are the symbols of the christ- 
ian population called a "third part" because the Ro- 
man population was divided religiously into Pagans, 
Jews and Christians. The sense is not that they were 
equally divided numerically but into three faiths. In 
chapter 9:4 Christians are distinguished from Pagans 
by a like figure while the idolators are said not to 
have the seal of God in their foreheads. In the writ- 
ings of the prophets, trees and other objects Jn the 
vegetable kingdom are often used as metaphors and 
comparisons in this sense. In the 61st chapter, 3rd 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



21 



verse of Isaiah in speaking of a holier period and peo- 
ple, the prophet says, That they may be called Trees 
of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he 
might be glorified." Christ said, "I am the vine ye 
are the branches." Proofs of such usage might be 
multiplied. A vine is a tree and the implied com- 
parison is that the relation of Christians to Christ is 
as necessary and vital as the tree is to the branches 
and fruit. The sense seems to be that while this vis- 
itation fell on the Christian portion, called the third 
part, all the green grass was burned up. That is, all 
those who refused either to conceal or abjure their 
faith in Christ were, if discovered, killed by fire or 
sword. Those, however, of less faith and fortitude 
generally recant, hide or flee when about to be tested 
by fire. The history of this great sacrifice of life and 
wail of woe indicated by voices, thunderings, light- 
nings and an earthquake is as follows: In 302 A. D. 
the emperors Galerius and Maximian conceived the 
diabolical purpose of making one more energetic and 
concerted effort to stamp out Christianity once and 
forever. Constantius, emperor of the west corner of 
the empire, refused to co-operate. And it is said Dio- 
cletian hesitated. To secure his aid and arouse his 
hostility the other two caused his palace at Nicome- 
dia to be set on fire and charged it to the Christians, 
as did Nero in 64 by setting the city of Rome on fire. 
Then Diocletian entered on the cruel work with all 
his accustomed energy. There was no external ene- 
my threatening the empire to divert attention from 
the Christians, permitting the three veteran barbar- 
ians to use all the military and civil power at their 
command in destroying the defenseless believers. 
They were crowded into houses which were set on 
fire, all perishing together. Great numbers were 



22 



NOTES ON 



strung together by ropes and thrown into the sea, 
According to figures given by authorities, nearly a 
million of men, women, and children perished in this 
manner during the nine years the edict was in force. 
When Galerius was dying of a loathsome disease in 
311 he revoked the edict, likely from remorse, but it 
was too late, 

8—9. And the second angel sounded and as it 
were a great mountain burning with fire was cast in- 
to the sea and the third part of the sea became blood. 
And the third part of the creatures which were in the 
sea and had life died and the third part of the ships 
were destroyed." Constantius died 306 and his son 
Constantine was declared, by the soldiers, his succes- 
sor. His part of the empire included Britan; Gaul, 
now called France, and Spain. For some reason 
Diocletian abdicated in 305 and Maximian also, leav- 
ing Galerius, his son-in-law, to name their successors 
south of the Alps. Maxentius, son of Maximian, 
was made emperor in Italy and also a successor was 
appointed in place of Diocletian. After the latter 
and Maximian retired the new rulers viewed each 
other with distrust and hostile intentions. Like his 
father, Constantine protected the Christians who 
found an asylum under him. That doubtless caused 
ill-feeling between him and Galerius, the most unre- 
lenting persecutor. In view of the impending con- 
flict, Constantine busied himself in re-organizing his 
army, a large part of which were Christians burning 
with zeal to avenge the wrongs of centuries. In 312 
the armies of the western empire, called a great 
mountain burning with fire, was hurled against Max- 
entius at Milan and his Pagan supporters called the 
sea because of their number. Led by their intrepid 
cheiftain who, like Napoleon, went into battle with 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



a f«re and fury which swept the enemy before him, 
the Alps were quickly crossed and Maxentius and his 
supporters attacked at Milan, In a hotly contested 
battle Maxentius was defeated. Another stand was 
made nearer Rome and again he was defeated and again 
he tried his fortunes near the city, This time his 
army was cut to pieces and in attempting to cross the 
Tiber in his flight he was drowned. Thus the burn* 
ing mountain, or empire of the west, turned the pa- 
gan third part of the sea, or population, to blood, 
Constantine was declared emperor of the whole west. 
In the same year Constantine proclaimed religious 
toleration to the Christians from the city of Milan, 
He most solemnly declared that in crossing the Alps 
he saw a brilliant cross in the heavens with the leg- 
end written in letters of fire, By This Sign Conquer. 
Afterwards the cross was borne on his battle stand- 
ards. 

io-ii. And the third angel sounded and there 
fell a great star from heaven burning as a lamp fell 
upon the third part of the rivers and fountains of wa- 
ters and the name of the star is called wormwood and 
the third part of the waters became wormwood and 
many men died of the waters because they were made 
bitter. The history of affairs in the empire after the 
overthrow of Maxentius in 312 is briefly as follows. 
Licinius one of the emperors in the east deposed his 
associate emperor. That left him sole ruler in the 
east and Constantine in the west. Licinius assented 
to the edict of Milan and an alliance was formed but 
they watched each other with a jealous eye. In the 
mean time both made preparations for supremacy in 
the whole empire. More and more favor was shown 
the Christians by their chief while Licinius fell back on 
the old faith and treated the Christians harshly. When 



24 



NOTES ON 



friendly relations ceased he avowed himself a staunch 
adherent of the national divinities. In 323 Constan- 
tine moved against him with an army of 130,000 
men and the cross on his standards giving the word 
"God our Savior" to his soldiers. Licinius had 165,- 
000, assuring his warriors of certain victory as the 
gods of Rome were many while that of the enemy 
was only one. They met at Adrianople and believers 
in the advantage of many gods were routed. Licin- 
ius took refuge in the stronghold of Byzantium 
where his fleet was stationed which was captured 
or destroyed. He was driven from thence, captured, 
and soon after slain. The victor became ruler over 
the whole empire and Christianity the religion of the 
Roman state. Keeping these facts of history in view 
what is meant by the great star burning as a lamp 
and falling upon the third part of the rivers and 
fountains of waters is clear. Without an exception 
the movements of stars and angels represent the 
movements of men in high station. For the literal 
meaning of waters see chapter 18 verse 15. Waters 
are uniformly used as a symbol of population. The 
burning star was called wormwood by the Pagans 
and it made the Christian third part of the waters, or 
people, bitter also. That was all natural. Constan- 
tine by his victories over the pagan emperors in the 
name of Christ and with the cross on his standards 
made millions of converts to the rising faith. These 
too like the burning star were gall and wormwood to 
the defeated and as has been shown, tens of thousands 
of pagans died at the hand of the Christian third part 
of the waters thus embittered. For a thousand years 
pagans had ruled Rome. Now a detested sect led by 
a Roman emperor of the same faith and at the head 
of the nation, was a bitter dose. 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



25 



12. And the fourth angel sounded and the third 
part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the 
moon, and the third part of the stars so as the third 
part of them was darkened and the day shone not for 
a third part of it and the night likewise." That was 
the logical effect of what had occurred. When the 
last of the imperial Pagans had been smitten to death 
and a Christian emperor ruling with a rod of iron, 
the sun of the former shone no more as rulers and the 
central light in the empire, forever. Pagan pontiffs 
and priests were eclipsed by Christian bishops and 
popes and all Pagan office : holding stars sunk into 
perpetual obscurity by the rising Christian lights who 
now filled their places. Thus ended Pagan Rome 
and thus began Christian Rome of which nothing 
more is said in this prophecy for fifty years. But his- 
tory tells us that Pagans, though out of office, for a 
long time formed the larger part of the population, 
and most of the images of the gods as well as the 
temples long existed. Christian numbers increased 
but piety hardly kept pace. 

13. And I beheld and heard an angel flying 
through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud 
voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth 
(empire) by reason of the three other voices of the 
trumpets of the three angels which are yet to sound." 
These three extend to the end of time when Christ 
will set up his kingdom on the ruins of those of rebel- 
lious sinners. 



26 



NOTES ON 



CHAPTER IX. 



ERSES i— II. And the fifth angel sounded and 



V I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth 
and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 
And he opened it and there arose a smoke out of the 
pit as the smoke of a great furnace and the sun and 
the air was darkened by reason of the smoke of the 
pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon 
the earth and unto them was given power as the scor- 
pions of the earth have power. And it was com- 
manded them that thev should not hurt the grass of 
the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, 
but only those men who have not the seal of God in 
their foreheads. To them it was given that they 
should not kill them, but that they should be tor- 
mented five months and their torment was as the tor- 
ment of a scorpion when he stingeth a man. In 
those days shall men seek death and shall not find it, 
and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them. 
And the shape of the locusts were like unto horses 
prepared unto battle and on their heads were, as it 
were, crowns like gold and their faces were as the 
faces of men. They had hair as the hair of women 
and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they 
had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron and 
the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots 
of many horses running to battle. They had a king 
over them which is the angel of the bottomless pit, 
whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon and in 
the Greek tongue Apollyon." The country north 
and northeast of the Danube and Rhine rivers was 
mostly unknown to the people of the four great an- 
cient empires. It is now embraced in the Russian 




THE APOCALYPSE. 



2 7 



empire, in Germany, Scandinavia and Hungary. 
The savage races inhabiting the region were first 
called by the general name of Scythians, later Ger- 
mans and Slavonians. Also Monguls in the north- 
eastern region. That dark country and its savage in- 
habitants was regarded with horror by the more civil- 
ized people in the south, who viewed it as an infer- 
nal region and its denizens as a species of diabolical, 
bloodthirsty monsters. To express this idea they 
called it the ''bottomless pit." Not only on account 
of its Cimmerian darkness, but because it was the 
source of endless hordes appearing on their frontiers 
in succes'sion. The last and most formidable of these 
were called Goths and Franks of the German race 
and Huns of the Mongolian. About 255 A. D. the 
Goths, whose former home is supposed to have been 
on the Baltic, appeared in place of Scythians or Sar- 
mations north of the Danube. At that time they 
made destructive raids into the Roman empire, but 
later the Emperor Claudius . came up with in one of 
their expeditions and slew an immense host of them. 
From this time they seem to have made no raids into 
Roman territory for nearly a century. A preacher 
named Ulphilas preached the Gospel to them convert- 
ing a portion. They became partially civilized and 
prosperous as well as divided religiously and socially. 
About 375 the Huns, veritable savages, moving west 
in quest of plunder and richer fields, attacked the 
Goths in the rear defeating them in a great battle. 
In their straits the Goths, to escape from their merci- 
less conquerors, asked permission of Valans, the eastern 
emperor, to cross to the Roman side of the river. Af- 
ter a long parley, consent was given on the condition 
that their wives and children should cross first and 
be held as hostages for their good conduct, also that 



28 NOTES ON 

all Pagans should submit to Christian baptism in the 
Arian formula then dominant at the Eastern court. 
The terms were accepted and boats were to be fur- 
nished to ferry them over, which was not done. With 
the Huns behind and the river in front 200,000 war- 
riors plunged into it and crossed on logs, boards, 
and anything that floated, or swam it. They found 
the soldiers had ill-used their wives and children, bat 
submitted to baptism as agreed. To protect the fron- 
tier, they were assigned the south bank of the river. 
As they had grievances, real or fancied, other tribes 
from the ''bottomless pit" were allowed to cross and 
soon a descent was made on the country south of the 
capital, spreading terror and ruin. A force was sent 
against them. It was defeated; another led by Val- 
ens himself met the same fate. In his flight the em- 
peror took shelter in a cabin which the Goths set on 
fire reducing both to ashes. Theodosius, an able cap- 
tain, came to the rescue and drove them back to their 
quarters on the river. He died a few years after and 
divided the empire between his two young sons Arca- 
dius and Honorius. Alaric, by this time, had be- 
come king of all the Goths. A descent was made on 
Greece and havoc was played with gods, temples, and 
all a hungry horde coveted. Then he turned his 
Goths against the western empire, and though de- 
feated in his first foray when all the captains able to 
cope with him had died or been put to death and the 
armies of the west dispersed. The Gothic king with 
all his host, men, women, and children and earthly 
gear spread themselves over upper Italy like a swarm 
of voracious locusts. They had stings like the sting 
of a scorpion. In 408 Rome was besieged and an in- 
demnity of about $10,000,000 demanded as a ransom 
for the lives and property of its citizens. Rome was 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



2 9 



in despair. But they had to pay it if they did melt 
down some of their images. Alaric retired to the up- 
per country, but a million of people with their horses 
and cattle need much provender. Then Alaric said 
he could get no rest for a voice constantly dinning in 
his ears — kl On and Destroy the City." Of course 
next year he returned, gained an entrance to the city 
and gave it up to be plundered by his Goths for ten 
days. The condition of the Romans in these days is 
easier conceived than described. Temples and 
images were stripped of their precious metals — likely 
many of them destroyed — the rich were tortured to 
disclose their suspected hidings and the city sacked 
generally. Only the Christian churches with those 
who took refuge in them were exempted from pillage. 
Alaric then moved south, the multitude spreading 
over the country for subsistence. Pagans called on 
their gods in vain, robbed and scourged in the city 
they had fled to their villas in the peninsula When 
the Goths came along another treatment like that in 
the city was given them. These proud patricians in 
their shame, agony, and despair preferred to die but 
no one would kill them; they sought death but death 
flew from them ; it was booty, not blood, the Goths 
sought. As a last resort they sought baptism into 
what had now been proven the safest religion. There 
was a great revival of numbers and Paganism now 
put on a Christian mantle. Thereafter saints filled 
the vacant niches of the gods. When the Goths 
reached the sea they had no boats to convey them to 
the islands or Africa. Backward the wave of destruc- 
tion flowed over into Spain, a Roman province. 
There they founded the kingdom of the Visigoths. 
Alaric, called in the text, the angel of the bottomless 
pit, died at the sea. His wife's brother succeeded 



3Q 



NOTES ON 



him. 

To those wTio have mastered the figurative vocabu- 
lary of these prophecies, comment on the text is not 
needed. A citation of the history covered by any 
given prophecy, is the true exposition. Words have 
no absolute meaning in themselves and in this sense 
they are all symbolic. Hence to understand this or 
any other book the reader must note the sense in 
which words are used by the author. Stars and 
angels, as has been said, in their movements repre- 
sent the movements and actions of rulers. A star 
falling from heaven, having the key of the bottomless 
pit, represented Valans, who fell from his throne by 
opening the pit and permitting the Goths and other 
barbarians to cross into the empire. His armies held 
the key of the river but foolishly opened its gates. 
Not only that but the fool put the key into their 
hands by stationing them along the south bank of the 
Danube. It cost him his life and the western empire 
its existence. The smoke which issued out of the 
bottomless pit from which these Gothic locusts issued 
was the smoke from their burning homes and posses- 
sions. The Huns neither spared life, property, 
age, sex nor condition. Attilla, their devil king, de- 
lighted to call himself the "scourge of God." He 
took up his quarters in the pit in a stockade. The 
effect of that smoke was to project a horde into the 
empire which hung like a portentious cloud over im- 
perial authority and the very existence of Rome. It 
was commanded them they "should not hurt the grass 
neither any green thing, neither any tree but only 
those men who had not the mark of God in their fore- 
heads. " What the mark in the forehead means has 
been noted. By the clearest implication the sense is, 
hurt not the Christians who have the mark of God in 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



3 1 



their foreheads, but only those men, the Pagans 
who have not the mark of God in their foreheads. 
The expressions "command and given unto them" 
are used only to show us that God knows what will 
happen among men from the beginning to the end. 
Any people with their education, condition, and char- 
acter would act so under like circumstances. They 
were not driven by fate. First, having lost their 
homes in the pit, by the Huns, they needed new 
ones. Second, there was no reason to spare those old 
Roman tyrants that had robbed and trampled the 
world under their iron heel. Third, they were a 
great multitude, poor and hungry and must forage 
for food and money, hence the stings in their tails — 
ruin in their rear; and fourth, they were baptized 
Christians of the Arian or Unitarian creed. Knough 
had been taught them by their bishop, Ulphilas, to 
know that to needlessly wr6ng or kill a brother was a 
great sin. And to rob or destroy a Christian church 
was sacrilege, hence as shown in their conduct in the 
city they respected these. On the other hand being 
Arians who believe only in one God as opposed 
alike to idolatry and trinitarianism. They played 
havoc with images of Roman gods, temples and their 
votaries. That was their divine mission and they 
fulfilled it. It was to the Pagans a sting like that of 
a scorpion when he striketh a man, but the Goths 
cared not to kill them only to torment and rob them. 
As the comparison proceeds, the locusts pass into the 
likeness of horses prepared unto battle their riders 
having faces like men. There is always some 
literal with the figurative. Crowns like gold were 
on their heads signifying their race would not 
only rule the Roman empire but the rest of the world 
as it is today. As a sign of their courage and rapa- 



32 



NOTES ON 



city they appeared to the prophet to have teeth like 
lions. They had hair like women because the wo- 
men and children were along, showing they had come 
to stay with the old dragon which they did; and bar- 
bers were not numerous in the wilds of Russia 1500 
years ago, which accounts for the unkempt appear- 
ance of the warriors as well. And they were to con- 
tinue a plague 1 50 years called five months 1 50 days. 
That would extend to 525 when by associating with 
Celts and Latins they had become as peaceable citizens 
as others. Breastplates as it were iron showed they 
would conquer. And they had a king over them 
which is the angel of the bottomless pit whose name 
in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon and in the Greek 
Apollyon. Alaric, the king of the Goths, was a na- 
tive of the bottomless pit and came out of it with his 
people. It is the manner of this prophecy to adapt 
language to the views of •the people to which it was 
directed, and who were affected by it. For instance 
Constantine's star is called wormwood and the Christ- 
ians also, because the Fagans viewed them as such. 
And all the tribes from north of the Rhine and Dan- 
ube are represented as from the bottomless pit for like 
reasons. And as Alaric fearfully scourged and tor- 
tured the Romans and Greeks they called him the 
devil king from the bottomless pit. 

12-21. One woe is past and behold there cometh 
two more woes hereafter. And the sixth angel 
sounded and I heard a voice from the altar which is 
before God saying to the sixth angel which had the 
trumpet. Loose the four angels that are bound in 
the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were 
loosed which were prepared for an hour, a day, a 
month and a year to slay the third part of men. 
And the number of the army of the horsemen were 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



33 



two hundred thousand thousand. And I saw the 
horses in the vision and them that sat on them hav- 
ing breastplates of fire, of jacinth and brimstone. 
And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions 
and out of their mouths issued smoke, fire, and brim- 
stone. By these three were the third part of men 
killed. For their power is in their mouths and in 
their tails, for their tails were like serpents and with 
them they do hurt. And the rest of the men that 
were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of 
the works of their hands that they should not wor- 
ship devils and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and 
wood, which can neither hear, see, nor walk. Nei- 
ther repented they of their murders, of their sorceries, 
of their fornications nor of their thefts." 

As the four angels representing four powers to slay 
the third part of men locate them, there can be little 
mystery about who they were, save the mystery of 
ignorance. In the beginning of the seventh century, 
an Arabian who took the name of Mohammed had 
visions and talks with the angel Gabriel about a new 
religion to, as he alleged, destroy idolatry prevalent 
around him. Like all prophets, he received no hon- 
or among his kinsmen. They laughed at his crazy 
notions; thought the 1 'black stone" was all the god 
they needed and repudiated his apostleship. He fled 
to Medina where he gained disciples and when strong 
enough he made war on the infidel Meccans, who, 
after being chastized, received him as their prince 
and prophet. But he was not one of those to put his 
light under a bushel. He attacked and subdued the 
Syrians. The watchword was and still is "There is 
no God but God and Mohammed is his Prophet." It 
is seen, like the Goths, they were image, idol, and 
temple smashers, of which this idolatrous world has 



34 



NOTES ON 



always been in great need. The prophet died early, 
but his successors in the name of God and the proph- 
et carried on the reform with fire and fury. Regard- 
ing themselves as the servants of God, death had no 
terrors, for if they fell in the work as a reward they 
would be transported to the rapturous delights of par- 
adise. In little more than a century their conquests 
and converts reached China on the east, from the In- 
dian Ocean on the south to the borders of Siberia on 
the north, from Palestine and Egypt to the west 
coast of Africa and from thence through Spain to the 
borders of Germany. In the tenth and eleventh cen- 
turies, having become rich, learned, and lazy, the vast 
empire went to pieces. In the eleventh the Turks, 
vigorous sons of nature, who had been converted, 
came west from central Asia and acted as body guards 
to the indolent Arabian Califs at Bagdad. Soon they 
became their masters and supplanted them altogether. 
The Turks, however, were of the same faith and con- 
tinued the work of converting or killing idolators 
whether Christian or heathen. At this time the 
Eastern church was sunk in the depths of saint and 
consecrated wafer idolatry and associate follies and 
wickedness. Fire worship with all the old devil sys- 
tems, prevailed in central and eastern Asia also in 
Africa. The prophet had a great mission. Of the 
Christian churches the best were converted into 
Mosques, the crosses, images and idolatrous traps 
were thrown to the moles and the bats, the valuable 
plate vessels, etc., were turned into the Califs' treas- 
ury to prosecute the war against Christian idolators 
and infidels. Mosques have no furniture only mats 
to kneel upon in prayer, and a mark on the white- 
washed walls pointing towards Mecca where the 
prophet was born. It is said that three millions of 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



35 



Crusaders perished in one way or another to recover 
the tomb of Christ from the Turks but they failed. 
After the eastern empire had lingered a feeble and 
corrupt existence, trampled under foot by Crusaders 
and Turks, the latter closed its career in 1455, as the 
barbarians from the pit closed that of the west in 475. 
Now see what the text says. 

The river Euphrates where the kings or kingdoms 
represented by the four angels were located runs 
through the center of the Mohammedan empire 
and is never mentioned in this book except in refer- 
ence to that empire. And only here at its rise and 
in chapter 16, verse 12 at its fall. These nations are 
Arabia, Persia, Syria, and Assyria. Armenia is on 
the river, but it was never an enthusiastic convert. 
The number of the army of the horsemen the prophet 
saw was two hundred thousand thousand. It seems 
to be an invariable rule in these prophecies to show 
in a single graphic picture the sum and full effect of 
any given visitation during its whole existence. The 
Arabian war lasted four hundred years. Now if the 
number of the army stated is divided by four hundred 
it gives an annual standing army of 500,000, which 
is less than modern armies, when it is considered the 
empire of the Califs in the zenith of their power was 
ten times as large as France. Fire, smoke, and brim- 
stone which appeared as if they issued out of the 
mouths of the horses is an apt description when all 
the facts are known. Arabians were the first to use 
firearms in war and as they fired their guns over their 
horses, their heads were enveloped in fire and sul- 
phurious smoke. By these three the third part of 
men were killed. That is by the effect of the explo- 
sion of the gunpowder. m What is said about the rid- 
ers' breastplates and the lion-like heads of the horses 



36 



NOTES ON 



and the serpentile appearance of the guns is not to 
describe the form of a model horse or gun, but a ref- 
erence to their destructive nature. Lions and large 
serpents are a terror. To impress this fact the breasts 
of the riders were clothed with fire, the fine Arabian 
horses swift and fierce as lions, the guns whose "pow- 
er was in their tails and mouths" stung as with the 
fang of destruction, crushing their victims in the coils 
of death. The imagery describes character rather 
than form. Such an army as the prophet saw was 
never seen before or since by man. In battle array 
it was drawn out on the field of the heavens. Their 
long lines and solid ranks swept over the plain like a 
wave of fire pouncing on the idolators with the fierce- 
ness of lions. It is said that the rest of the men that 
were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of 
the works of their hands, that they did not worship 
devils, etc. This shows two things. First, that the 
expression, To slay the third part of men, means the 
slaughter by the horsemen and guns was among the 
idolatrous class. They, as shown, were not all slain 
but suffered most. That is all meant and history 
proves it true. Second, those of this class, not slain 
remaining impenitent, shows the reason why God 
has kept them under the heel of Mohammedans for 
1260 years, although as stated in the text the Arab- 
ian Califs did this only about 400 years or an hour, a 
day, a month and a year — nearly 400 days — years 
thus symbolically expressed. Turks of the same 
faith have done the rest. 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



37 



CHAPTER X. 

THERE are several remarkable movements and 
declarations of the angelic actors in this chap- 
ter. "A mighty angel came down from heaven and 
planted his left foot upon the earth and his right upon 
the sea and lifted up his hand to heaven and sware 
by him that liveth forever and forever that time 
should be no longer but in the days when the seventh 
angel shall begin to sound." That is its sounding 
will cover all future time of the present state of 
things on earth. Another significant and sublime act 
of the mighty angel was his feet were planted exactly 
where the great struggles between Christianity and 
falsehood and tyranny would take place in future cen- 
turies. The sea is the symbol of Germany and north- 
ern Europe and the earth that of the old Roman ter- 
ritory, south. Also the little open book in his hand 
contained the career and fate of the nations then ris- 
ing in these countries. A voice said to the prophet, 
"Go and take the little open book out of the angel's 
hand." He went and the angel said, "take it and 
eat it and it will be in thy mouth sweet as honey but 
it will make thy belly bitter." He did so and such 
were its properties. That was in effect to say these 
nations whose acts are recorded in that book are a 
race of plausible hypocrites who will make sweet pre- 
tentions to Christian piety though in practice as bit- 
ter as Pagans. These angels crowd big sermons into 
small space. The book was open because what it 
contained Christ opened in the seventh seal. The 
end aimed did not require the prophet to literally eat 
the book. As he was in a vision or spirit state, be- 
ing told of its qualities and to eat it, he felt all the 



38 



NOTES ON 



sensations as if he had eaten food of like properties in 
a normal state of mind. At this time old Rome was 
defunct in the flesh and the Germans from the bot- 
tomless pit soon appear on the stage as actors. 



HIS and the next chapter seem a digression from 



JL the direct line of history though apparent only. 
They are in part introductory to the new nations 
whose history is taken up at chapter 13. 

Verses 1-2. And there was given me a reed like a 
rod and the angel said, Rise and measure the temple 
of God and the altar and them that worship 
therein. But the court without the temple leave out 
for it is given unto the Gentiles and the holy city shall 
they tread under foot forty and two months." These 
many months are 1260 days. As this prophecy im- 
mediately follows the Mohammedan eruption and 
conquest of Jerusalem, the 1260 years trampling of 
the city is the period of their possession of it. Omar, 
the third from Mohammed captured the city from the 
Western empire in 640. By adding 1260 to 640 we 
have 1900 the end of Mohammedan rule over the city 
provided 640 is the time the angel dated from. Time 
will soon tell. During the 1260 years Jerusalem in 
a figure as the outer court, was not worth measuring 
in a religious sense, since it was occupied by Bedo- 
uins, unbelieving Jews, Turks and the odd ends of 
creation; some worshipping the prophet, some the 
place where they supposed Christ laid two days, some 
the ruins of the old temple, and cut throats and 
thieves who believe in stealing all they can. What 
use measuring it until cleaned out ? 



CHAPTER XI. 




THE APOCALYPSE. 



39 



Verses 3-6. And I will give power unto my two 
witnesses and they shall prophesy a thousand two 
hundred and three score days clothed in sackcloth; 
these are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks 
standing before the God of the earth. And if any 
man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their 
mouths and devoureth their enemies, and if any man 
hurt them he must in the same manner be killed. 
These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in 
the days of their prophecy and have power over wat- 
ers to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with 
all plagues as often as they will." No men or sect 
possess the power ascribed to these to witnesses. 
Christ or the Word is called the true witness and the 
Divine Spirit is the other. Sack-cloth in which they 
prophesied 1260 years is the emblem of humiliation 
and sorrow. These witnesses are the moral and spir- 
itual lights of the world. There is no doubt about 
their power to devour enemies by the consuming fire 
of Divine power or by turning waters (nations) into a 
state of war and bloodshed. They can withhold rain 
and smite the earth with all plagues as often as they 
will. They not only have the power but often exer- 
cise it tempered with mercy in view of man's inate 
depravity and ignorance. 

7. And when they shall have finished their testi- 
mony the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit 
shall make war against them and overcome them and 
kill them." The meaning of the bottomless pit has 
been noticed in Chapter IX, and the beast here first 
appearing as a Christianity killer, is from that region. 
But to discover which beast it was that did this, the 
first thing to be determined is, when did a pure 
Christianity get so unpopular and hated that figura- 
tively speaking it put on sack-cloth. All Frotestant 



4o 



NOTES ON 



writers, both civil and religious, agree that in the 
sixth century apostacy had crystalized in the old 
church, say 532, to which add 1260, the period of 
sack-cloth prophecy, and we have 1792 the period of 
the French Revolution. France is one of the biggest 
horns of the beast which came out of the bottomless 
pit because the German Franks founded and ruled it. 
In 1792 the French General Assembly created a form 
of government called The Convention, which ruled 
during what is called the Reign of Terror. It is 
conceded by historians the revolution was the culmi- 
nation of more than a thousand years of falsehood, 
wickedness and tyranny in church and state. Here 
it is accounted for substantially in the same way — 
Christianity in sack- cloth, killed by the French 
beast. During that century there was an organized 
campaign of education in infidelity and Atheism. 
Both church and state made loud professions of re- 
ligion but they acted worse than pagans. In fact 
the whole thing was paganism labelled Christianity. 
In September, 1792, The Convention took the oar of 
state, and the king was guillotined. That body rep- 
resenting the common people did many good things. 
Being mostly Atheists the Convention officially, as 
the government of France, deposed Christianity and 
in great parade inaugurated the worship of reason and 
the Republic and began a new era which they called 
the year 1. Thus Christianity was declared dead. 

8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of 
the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and 
Egypt where also our Lord was crucified." The 
great city in which that occurred was Paris, compared 
spiritually to Sodorn and mentally to Egyptian night 
and as many bishops or exbishops, priests and others 
who had professed religion joined in killing it they 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



41 



in a figure "Crucified Christ afresh and put him to 
open shame. " 

9. And they of the people and kindreds and na- 
tions and people and tongues shall see their dead 
bodies three days and a half and shall not suffer their 
dead bodies to be put in graves." After the Conven- 
tion had officially killed Christianity to have been 
consistent with their professions they ought to have 
buried the subject and let it rest. Not they. I y ike 
all misguided creatures of the kind they, figuratively 
speaking, continued to kick its corpse in the streets, 
cafes, theatres and Convention as if it was still alive, 
and that they did not believe themselves. All the 
world was watching the new experiment of a Reason 
god and Liberty, Equality and Fraternity or Death," 
while the guillotine was all the time clipping off the 
heads of royalists. 

10. And they that dwell on the earth shall re- 
joice over them and make merry and send gifts one 
to another because these prophets tormented them 
that dwell on the earth." They tried to have a good 
time over their dead bodies and exchanged couoratu- 
lations w T ith infidels everywhere and sent gifts one to 
another because the denunciations hurled at such 
gross sinners had tormented them. 

11. And after three days and a half the spirit of 
life from God entered into them and they stood upon 
their feet and great fear fell upon them that saw 
them." After the more moderate class grew weary 
of bloodshed and constant tumults, Robspierre, the 
leader of the Jacobins, with his associate Reds were 
guillotined, a reaction set in when Christianity began 
to get on its feet again to the great fear of those who 
had hoped it dead. 

12-13. And they heard a great voice from heaven 



42 



NOTES ON 



saying unto them, Come up hither. And they as- 
cended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies be- 
held them," All this the prophet saw and heard in 
heaven 1700 years before it took place on earth. In 
1795 food was scarce and money more so, causing 
great riots threatening the safety of the members of 
the Convention. Napoleon, a young officer, was put 
in command of a division of the army to protect the 
members in session. The mob came on 50,000 
strong to force an entrance and make their demands. 
He had his batteries planted to cover the Tuilleries 
and opened a deadly raking fire on them. They fled 
to their holes in terror, leaving two hundred dead in 
the street. The Jacobins never rallied in much force 
again. It is seen the cloud the witnesses actually 
rose in was the smoke from artillery and the great 
earthly voice was the voice of Napoleon. A new gov- 
ernment called the Directory was formed but two- 
thirds of its members held over and religiously was 
about like the Convention. Next March 1796 three 
years and a half from the time the Reds went into 
power, Napoleon was appointed commander-in-chief 
of the army operating against Austria in Italy. Then 
the witnesses ascended to power and influence on the 
smoke of his guns and the beast and false prophet 
were made to lick the dust. Austria was and still is 
the biggest of the horns of the beast. Napoleon 
placed all sects on an equal footing. Heaven is used 
figuratively signifying exalted station, place, or in- 
fluence. Christianity again became the religion of 
France. 

13. And at the same hour was there a great earth- 
quake and the tenth part of the city fell and in the 
earthquake there was slain of men seven thousand 
and the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



43 



the God of heaven." The earthquake was the Revo- 
lution itself and the tenth part of the city which fell, 
the amount of damage done it. All the ports of 
France were blockaded by enemies of the Republic 
and they could not get iron and other metals to make 
guns, swords and pikes. Everyone, men and women 
wanted weapons of some kind to fell traitors, hence 
the church bells and all iron work about them, to- 
gether with the palaces of absconding royalists were 
stripped and church plate coined into money. Many 
buildings were destroyed, palaces turned into gun 
factories, etc. Nothing was repaired in the excite- 
ment and uncertainty therefore a ten percent damage 
is reasonable. Christianity being dead and priests 
fled what use of sparing churches? Crosses, balus- 
trades, railings, etc. made firewood. Carlyle, an au- 
thority, gives figures from French writers which place 
the official number of slain at about 6,500 but at such 
a time many are killed of which no account is made. 
God alone knows the number. Therefore 7000 here 
given as the number that were slain or executed dur- 
ing the Revolution and fairly chargeable to it, is cor- 
rect. 

Verses 14-15. The second woe is past and behold 
the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh 
angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven 
saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the 
kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and he shall 
reign forever and forever." Some might understand 
these soundings as a single sound at the beginning of 
a new period. The sounding of this last angel ex- 
tends to the end of time and the declaration in the 
text that the kingdoms of this world are become the 
kingdoms of the Eord are the last loud sounding of 
the trumpet. Events leading up to it are found in 



44 



NOTES ON 



following chapters. It covers more than a thousand 
years including the career of the new German na- 
tions to become the chief actors. The strong an- 
gel in chapter 10 declared this sounding included all 
future time. The last scenes of earth are figurative- 
ly described by lightnings, voices, thunderings and 
an earthquake and great hail. — Great commotion 
then. 



'HE first half of this chapter is a review of the 



JL struggles between the Christian and pagan em- 
perors recorded in chapter 8. The reader is referred 
to history there cited. That event is here reproduced 
in the form of a drama, also by going back to 300 A. 
D. a connected history of the church is given to the 
end. A period of at least four hundred years is cov- 
ered by its contents. Its substance is as follows: — 

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a 
woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her 
feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And 
she being with child cried, travailing in birth and 
pained to be delivered. Another wonder appeared in 
heaven, behold a great red dragon having seven 
heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads. 
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heav- 
en and cast them to the earth, and the dragon stood be- 
fore the woman which was ready to be delivered to de- 
vour her child as soon as it was born." The pure 
church of Christ is here introduced under the figure 
of a woman pregnant and crying to be delivered. 
The time here referred to is the reign of the four em- 
perors by three of whom she was cruelly tortured. 



CH AFTER XII. 




THE APOCALYPSE. 



45 



A great red dragon now appearing on the stage rep- 
resents pagan imperial power which in its descent or 
overthrow dragged in its train all pagan office-holders 
called the third or pagan part of the stars of heaven. 
Heaven signifies exalted station and the earth to the 
ranks of the common people. Seven heads with sev- 
en crowns on them refer to the seven "forms of govern- 
ment which existed at different periods in Roman his- 
tory, viz., the monarchy, dictatorship, triumverate, 
consulate, republic, empire and patriciate all exer- 
cised regal power as shown by the crowns. Strictly 
speaking the horns do not represent the dragon but 
symbolize the great powers that would succeed him, 
which materialize in the next chapter. Also see the 
same power and prospective powers in Daniel chapter 
7. The dragon is identical with the "exceeding 
dreadful" fourth beast, in the chapter quoted. In 
addition to this mark of identification, he appears in 
his national colors. Romans carried a dragon paint- 
ed red on their battle standards. An eagle was borne 
at the head of the legion but the ten cohorts which 
composed the legion carried dragon colors or a huge 
serpent painted red. Thus informed readers can tell 
what power is here meant as well as they know what 
nation is meant by hoisting the stars and stripes. 

5. And she brought forth a man child who was to 
rule all nations with a rod of iron and her child was 
caught up to God and his throne." — -Rule all nations 
in the Roman empire which were many. In the 
light of history, cited in chapter 8, the meaning of 
this is plain. At the time of her greatest agony she 
gave birth to an imperial convert in the person of 
Constantine and although the pagan emperors Max- 
entius, Licinius, and Galerius sought to destroy him, 
he utterly annihilated them, as already noticed, and 



4 6 



NOTES ON 



was, in the language of the text, caught up to God's 
throne. In the heavenly drama seen by the prophet, 
a child, as it appeared to him, was born and caught 
up to heaven, but when the drama of actual war oc- 
curred in Rome, of which the heavenly was a type, it 
was a full grown imperial convert basting the pa- 
gans and ruling them with a rod of iron. 

What follows to the 12th verse is a reproduction in 
the form of a great battle scene on the wide theatre 
of the skies. There was war in heaven! Michael, 
the prince of angels, at the head of 130,000 angels 
acting in the role of Constantine and his army are 
drawn up in battle array, while a creature as above 
described confronts him with 165,000 angels in the 
role of the pagans. All heaven is watching in breath- 
less silence the result. The battle opens; Michael 
and his angels fought and the dragon and his angejs 
fought aud prevailed not. A Waterloo rout, whereon 
Michael and his victorious angels seize the dragon 
and his angels, cast them over the battlements of 
heaven onto the earth and their place was found no 
more in heaven. Literally no more on the throne 
of Rome. At the sight of this glorious victory over 
the old dragon, serpent also called the devil and sa- 
tan, all heaven raised a shout of joy, saying "Now is 
come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our 
God and his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is 
cast down which accused them before God day and 
night. And they overcame him by the blood of the 
Lamb and the word of their testimony." "There- 
fore rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them." 

12. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the 
sea for the devil has come down to you in great 
wrath." As this chapter describes the events of cen- 
turies the reader must not expect them to follow each 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



47 



other as rapidly as the verses. Although the pagans 
were cast down as the ruling class in Rome they were 
still numerous, likely most numerous, and naturally 
seized every oportunity to vent their spleen on Christ- 
ians and Christianity. Since the earth is the symbol 
of the old empire and the sea of central Europe or 
Germany, the pagans as indicated found a wider field 
of action. At this time numerous barbarian tribes 
were roaming around in search of the best sites on the 
ruins of the defunct western empire. 

13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast 
unto the earth he persecuted the woman which 
brought forth the man child." They charged their 
loss of power to Christianity to which Constantine 
and millions had been converted and vented their 
wrath in every possible way on it and its votaries. 

14. And to the woman were given two wings of a 
great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness into 
her place, where she is nourished for a time and 
times and half a time from the face of the serpent." 
— 1260 years. Wilderness may be considered either 
in a literal or figurative sense as history shows both 
true. In a figurative sense it may mean, Christian- 
ity was accepted by many of the barbarians settling 
in all parts of the empire or it may as truly mean the 
genuine Christians fled into the interior from the 
great centers of pagan population. The woman flee- 
ing on the two wings of the eagle is this: When the 
empire was united the eagle was the national emblem 
but when it was divided into east and west about 
400, the eagle's wings were, in a figure, divided also, 
hence the Christians in the eastern half are repre- 
sented as fleeing on that wing and those in the west- 
ern half on the other for similar reasons. 

15. And the serpent cast out of his mouth waters 



4 8 



NOTES ON 



as a flood after the woman that he might cause her 
to be carried away of the flood." 

1 6. And the earth helped the woman and the 
earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood. " 
As waters mean people and earth the empire, it ap- 
pears that the Pagans endeavored to destroy Christ- 
ianity by inviting the barbarian nations to make war 
against the Church but here again they were foiled by 
the barbarians embracing Christianity, and thus the 
serpent's flood was swallowed up by these new set- 
tlers in the empire and it helped the woman. 

17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman 
and went to make war w r ith the remnant of her seed 
which keep the commandments of God and have the 
testimony of Jesus Christ." The dragon, foiled in 
every effort to destroy Christianity by violence adopt- 
ed a new method. He joined the big church, put on 
the cloak of Christianity, and became so zealous for 
Catholic uniformity that he declared all dissenters 
should be burned as heretics. And as that remnant 
were the only ones that kept the commandments of 
God and had the true testimony of Jesus, he accomp- 
lished by hypocrisy what he utterly failed to do by 
making war on Christianity as a religious institution. 
But the reader must bear in mind the dragon, ser- 
pent, devil and satan is the symbol of pagan Rome 
in particular and of paganism in general and though 
by a form of speech called Personification is repre- 
sented to have life and intelligence yet it has neither, 
except as given by human intelligence in executing 
its spirit and gross idolatrous practices. The woman 
or a pure Christianity twice said to flee into the wild- 
erness for 1260 years in this chapter, is the same 
thing differently expressed as the two witnesses, viz., 
that general apostacy prevailed in that time and 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



49 



reached its climax in wide-spread infidelity and athe- 
ism in the eighteenth century which with its excesses 
caused a great reaction favorable both to Christianity 
and the political rights of men. 



; 7 ERSES 1-2. And I stood upon the sand of the 



V sea and saw a beast come up out of the sea, hav- 
ing seven heads and ten horns and upon his horns 
ten crowns and upon his heads the name of blas- 
phemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a 
leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear and his 
mouth as the mouth of a lion and the dragon gave 
him his power and his seat and great authority." 
This power is the feet and toes of the image described 
in the 2nd chapter of Daniel which the "stone cut out 
without hands will smite and break to pieces like 
chaff before the summer thrashing floor. " It is also 
foreshadowed by the ten horns in Daniel's "terri- 
ble fourth beast," chapter 7 and which in the pre- 
vious chapter is named a dragon having a like num- 
ber of horns as it is the same fourth Roman power. 
These were then prospective kingdoms but now they 
are present and actual though not independently de- 
veloped as yet. If the reader will view T the beast in 
the light of prophecy and history, his pedigree and 
identity will be found written in his parts. He has 
the mouth of the Babylonian lion, the feet of the 
Medo- Persian bear, the body of the Greek leopard and 
the Roman dragon gave him his power, seat and 
great authority. Now every person that knows any- 
thing of the history of these nations knows that the 
Franks who reconstructed the old western empire in 



CHAPTER XIII. 




5° 



NOTES ON 



800 inherited its domain, power, seat and great au- 
thority. It is said this power rose out of the sea. 
As the Franks were Germans, the sea means Germany 
or central Europe. In this beast the crowns are 011 
the horns whereas they are on the heads of the drag- 
on. The seven crownless heads on the beast are un- 
derstood to represent the seven German electors which 
chose the German emperors and held that hereditary 
right up to the beginning of the present century. 
Originally there were seven representing the most 
powerful states, later the number varied. On the 
heads the name of blasphemy was written. These 
German dukes and petty kings, including a bishop, 
were as hostile to everything religious not sanctioned 
by the pope, as the pope himself, or their creature the 
emperor. In modern times some of them adopted 
Lutherianism and became less intolerant towards a 
radical Christianity; but at their best they are strong- 
ly imbued with the spirit of intolerance and of the 
old dragon. Before noticing the text further, the 
rise of this ten-horned and seven-headed power will 
be traced in history. When the western Roman em- 
pire became an easy prey to German tribes, then 
known as barbarians, the Visigoths settled in Spain, 
another adventurer named Odoacer deposed the last of 
the feeble emperors in 475 and essayed to found a 
kingdom in upper Italy but was defeated in battle by 
the Ostrogoth's w T ho in turn were ousted by a tribe 
called Lombards. In the mean time the Franks took 
possession of Gaul, now called France. They found- 
ed two kingdoms and two or three independent duke- 
doms out of it. Also the Angles and Saxons whose 
native heath was near the Baltic sea, seized Britain. 
Native Latins and Celts worked the land on shares. 
As there was no more territory to conquer and plun- 



THE APOCALYPSE, 



5' 



dcr, the invaders adopted the laws and customs of the 
Romans. They also submitted to water baptism con- 
version. This state of affairs lasted for about 200 
years, the popes at Rome being chief magistrates of 
the city, general directors and vicegerants of Christ 
with the key of hell in their pockets. But' about the 
beginning of the eighth century a family of Franks 
descended from Pepin de Landen, duke of Austrasia, 
came to the front as Mayors of the palace under the 
reigning kings of France. For five generations this 
family rose higher and higher till the last of the 
eminent conquered and restored the old western 
empire. The most notable were Pepin le Gross, 
Charles Martel, Pepin the Short and Charlemagne, or 
Charles the Great, In 690 Pepin le Gross had united 
France under his rule as mayor of the palace. Charles 
Martel extended the power of the family and the 
boundaries of France but the Merovingian kings still 
nominally ruled. Pepin the Short succeeded his fa- 
ther Charles in 741 and the bee of royalty buzzed in 
his bonnet from the first. He made war in all direc- 
tions and like his father was successful in repelling 
the Arabian fanatics, who by this time, had borne 
the flag of the prophet from Egypt to Gibralter and 
from thence through Spain to France. To advance 
his kingly aims he courted the favor of the priests 
and the pope the first of the family to resort to such 
methods for power. At this time the eastern empire 
had become weak and could give no help to the pope 
to advance his schemes of aggrandizement. He saw 
the advantage of an alliance with the Franks, now a 
rising power. Pepin also saw how useful the pope 
could be in that ignorant and superstitious age. A 
conspiracy was formed and the pope released the 
Franks from their oath of allegiance to Childeric, the 



.52 



NOTES ON 



reigning- king. The latter retired into a convent 
where he soon after died. Pepin had himself crowned 
king by papal authority. At that time the pope and 
the Lombard king were quarreling about certain ter- 
ritory near Rome, the latter was besieging his holi- 
ness in the city. Pepin at once advanced into Italy 
and compelled the Lombard to retire and bestowed 
the disputed territory on the pope. That was the be- 
ginning of the states of the church. Here we find 
when the beast rose out of the sea, where he rose and 
also when the corrupt woman first became seated on 
the "scarlet colored beast." Pepin greatly extended 
the kingdom of the Franks in all directions and in 
truth was the founder of the Carlovingian dynasty 
credited to his son Charles. He died in 768 and 
Charles took his seat. The latter, with even more 
success than his ancestors, continued his conquests 
till the whole or more territory than in the old west- 
ern empire was embraced in his dominions. He did 
not extend it into Africa but absorbed the whole of 
Germany which the Romans never did. All his life 
he was at war, as he pretended "to extend the Christ- 
ian religion." The Alliance formed by his father 
with the papacy was made closer. When making a 
campaign in Italy in 800 against the Romans who 
were in revolt against the pope's territorial greed, he 
went to say his prayers in St. Peter's and the pope 
came up behind him and planting a crown on his 
head saluted him as "Carolus Augustus emperor of 
the Romans" amid the wild acclamations of the 
throng. After his death in 814 his great empire be- 
gan to go to pieces. During the century the ten 
horns, seen in the head of the old beast, and compos- 
ing the Frankish beast appeared as independent 
kingdoms. Charlemagne was the last great man of 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



53 



the family, priest and pope rule ruined them as it has 
ruined hundreds of millions after them. Attention 
is now invited to the text which describes the char- 
acter of this power and of the papacy in alliance 
with it. 

Verses 2-4. And the dragon gave him his power, 
seat and great authority. And I saw one of his heads 
(the dragon's) as it were wounded to death and his 
deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered 
after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon 
which gave power unto the beast saying,. Who is 
like unto the beast who is able to make war with 
him? As the empire of the Franks embraced the ter- 
ritory of the dragon, the latter is truly said to have 
given the former his power, seat and great authority. 
The dragon's head which seemed as if it were wound- 
ed to death was the imperial head which was stricken 
down by German barbarians in 475. It was healed 
in 800 when Charlemagne was crowned emperor of 
the Romans. All the world wondered at the restora- 
tion of the empire as no one had the least idea that it 
could be revived after being torn to pieces for over 
300 years. Those who welcomed this restoration 
worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the 
beast and they worshiped the beast. That is they 
admired the imperial form of old Rome founded by 
Julius Caesar and they admired Charlemagne for re- 
storing it. Saying in their ecstacy, Who is able to 
make war with him ? No one. 

5-8. And there was given unto him a mouth 
speaking great things and blasphemies and power was 
given unto him to continue forty and two months. 
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, 
to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them 
that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to 



54 



NOTES ON 



make war with the saints and to overcome them and 
power was given unto him over all kindreds and 
tongues and nations. And all that dwell on the 
earth shall worship him whose names are not written 
in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the founda- 
tion of the world." There was given unto him a 
mouth speaking great things. As shown in the de- 
scription in verse 2 these emperors and kings as a 
rule, have had and still have Babylonian lion-like 
mouths, growling, roaring and threatening each 
other and the weak nations of the earth, speaking 
blasphemies. There are many forms of blashemy in 
a scriptural sense. If a ruler or public officer does in 
the name of God what God has forbidden, or if in 
the name of God he refuses to do what God had ex- 
pressly commanded, he is a blasphemer because he 
lies against God. It is said in verse 6 he blasphemed 
against God's tabernacle and them that dwell in 
heaven. That is, as all history proves, these powers 
have denounced God's true church in the wilderness 
and put its members to death, whose conversation 
and life was heavenly. This count in the indictment 
against the pope's executioners condemns them to 
the lowest pit. His lease of power is fixed at forty 
and two months, twelve hundred and sixty years thus 
expressed. This power was seen coming up out of 
the sea as also shown by the history of its rise. Pep- 
in le Gros united both the kingdoms of France under 
him as Mayor of the palace as early as 690. If this 
date is taken which appears the true period, the pres- 
ent European powers will be wiped out by 1950 
though from Daniel's account of them, the little horn 
which came up last waxed strong, defiant and over- 
threw three of the first ten, will for its wickedness be 
destroyed first, while the others shall continue for a 



THE APOCALYPSE, 



55 



season with their dominions taken away. This indi- 
cates that one will cease to be a nation altogether but 
the others or their people may retain their nationality 
for some years afterward probably until near the sec- 
ond resurrection, which as appears from prophecy 
will occur about 2000 or the 6000th year of the cre- 
ation of man. 

7. And it was given to him to make war with the 
saints and to overcome thern, and power was given 
him over all kindreds, tongues and nations." These 
prophecies do not refer to individual rulers but to all 
the ten horns. The truth of what is here stated is 
fulfilled today. The German stock rule all Europe 
save Turkey and it exists under a German protector- 
ate called the great powers. All Asia, Africa and 
the islands of the seas are either colonies of these 
powers, descended from them like North and South 
America or exist by their suffrage. 

8. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship 
him whose names are not written in the book of life." 
The earth, as usual, means the territory of the old 
empire where the pope and Charlemagne formally re- 
established it. True Christians styled those whose 
names are written in the book of life did not admire 
nor get into ecstacies over the restoration of imperial 
tyranny. 

9. If any man hath an ear let him hear, he that 
leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; he that 
killeth with the sword shall be killed with the sword. 
Here is the patience and faith of the saints." This 
is a warning to the new alliance of imperial and ec- 
clesiastical tyrants that poetic justice would be dealt 
out to them. "Let the saints exercise faith and pa- 
tience for God in due time will avenge their wrongs." 

11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of 



56 



NOTES ON 



trie earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he 
spake as a dragon." — pagan. This is his reverence 
who released the Franks from their oath of allegiance 
to Childeric and made Pepin king of the Franks. 
His two lamb-like horns may signify the two classes 
of priests, secular and active, in that church or prob- 
ably the spiritual and temporal power as vicegerantof 
Christ. But the hard feature in him, — he spake as a 
pagan. This conforms to the comment on the last 
verse of the last chapter that the dragon executed a 
coup & etat by joining the big church so he could 
kill real Christians in the name of it. This beast be 
it noticed came up out of the earth or Italy, whereas 
the ten-horned came up out of Germany — the sea. 

12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first 
beast before him and causeth the earth and them that 
dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly 
wound was healed. At that time the pope had all 
the power over the Romans the old emperors had 
called the first beast before him and he used that 
power to compel the Romans to accept the new em- 
peror and empire in the image of the old one whose 
wound in 475 was now healed. Notice the tricks of 
the lamb horned to carry his point. 

13. And he doeth great wonders in that he mak- 
eth fire come down from heaven on the earth in the 
sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the 
earth by means of those miracles which he had power 
to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that 
dwell on the earth that they should make an image 
to the beast which had the wound of a sword and did 
live." These so-called miracles were a fraud on the 
people because real miracles do not deceive as these 
did. Here we are liable to fall into a common error 
by understanding the word fire in a literal sense. 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



57 



Fire is used in the scriptures as a symbol of the Holy 
Ghost. It is said he descended on the Apostles like 
cloven tongues of fire. Christ said, "I will baptize 
you with fire." Fire is very often used as a meta- 
phor in this sense. The meaning is that on the day 
the pope crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Ro- 
mans in the sight of men, and also of the emperor 
who was the first person crowned as ruler of the re- 
stored empire, the pope pretended he had a revela- 
tion from heaven by the Holy Ghost that it was the 
express will of God that the empire should now be re- 
stored and that all who resisted would be visited bv 
the fires of divine wrath. That empire was called 
the image of the old one, because it was modeled on 
the same imperial form in addition to embracing its 
territory and people. Maybe his reverence had a 
message from the bottomless pit where the image 
came from. 

1 5. And he had power to give life to the image 
of the beast; that the image of the beast should both 
speak and cause that as many as would not worship 
the image should be killed." Thus it is seen as soon 
as the pope had crowned the Frank and imposed him 
upon them by so-called miracles and gross deceptions, 
the image took the club into his own hands and de- 
clared that as many as would not accept him as em- 
peror and the empire should be killed. That is 
just what Charlemagne did. He massacred 4500 
Saxon rebels in one day that he had made prison- 
ers and those left accepted baptism from fear. All 
his life and most of his successors followed the same 
policy. 

16. And he causeth all both small and great, rich 
and poor, free and bond to receive a mark in their 
right hand or in their foreheads." This is all natur- 



NOTES ON 



al. He compelled all the petty princes, kings and 
dukes to take the oath of allegiance which in doing- 
raised their right hand to heaven as an appeal to 
God to witness their sincerity. But it is not conven- 
ient for forty millions of people to take an oath in 
this form. Their feudal lords had taken the right 
hand mark, and then as now, all people without re- 
spect to condition were required to conduct them- 
selves as loyal citizens rendering a true and faithful 
allegiance to his person and the empire. This is 
called a mark in the forehead because it relates to the 
general conduct of such as had not taken the right 
hand mark. A man's face or forehead is the out- 
ward symbol of his character and conduct. 

17. And that no man might buy or sell who had 
not received this mark or the name of the beast or the 
number of his name." That is, all who refused to 
take the oath of allegiance or conduct themselves as 
loyal citizens were denied the common rights of citi- 
zenship. Name of the beast and the number of his 
name is nearly the same as above requiring a' true 
submission to the Latin Kingdom now instituted. 

18. Here is wisdom: let him that hath understand- 
ing count the number of the beast for it is the num- 
ber of a man and his number is six hundred three 
score and six," or 666. Here is a challenge for men 
of sense and learning to mathematically demonstrate 
what kingdom is meant by the image of the beast. 
In searching for the number of the beast, it must be 
found in some kingdom as the word empire was not 
used in ancient times. Also it must be a kingdom 
established since 68 when this prophecy was given. 
And the number must be found in the Greek lan- 
guage in which this book was first written. Before 
the figures now in use were employed to indicate 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



59 



numbers, letters of the alphabet were used, as now in 
the Bible and histories. The Roman kingdom took 
the name of the city of Rome where it began, but 
the Latins founded both the city and the empire, 
hence the Roman kingdom was the Latin kingdom. 
After its fall, as shown, the Franks in 800, who had 
conquered the Latins, revived the kingdom which 
embraced the Latin territory and people. Therefore 
the number of the name of the image of the beast is 
the sum of the numbers represented by the letters in 
its name in Greek, according to the Greek system of 
indicating numbers by letters. Those well versed in 
Greek and Greek methods of computation, say the 
letters in the name of no kingdom on earth will pro- 
duce 666 but those in The Latin Kingdom when 
written in Greek, 



'HE last chapter describes a state of affairs in 



1 church and state which continued up to the 
twelfth century, called the dark ages, when the new 
nations were still barbarians in practice and Christ- 
ians in profession, and the popes were religious gods 
and the power behind the thrones of Europe. This 
chapter heralds the dawn of gospel day. For cen- 
turies cunningly devised fables to fleece the unfed 
flock had been generally accepted. Now the prophet, 
verse 6, Saw an angel fly through the midst of heav- 
en having the everlasting gospel to preach to them 
that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kin- 
dred and tongue and people, Saying with a loud voice 
Fear God and give glory to him; for the hour of his 
judgement is come: and worship him that made heav- 



CHAPTER XIV. 




6o 



NOTES ON 



en and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters." 
This angel is no local preacher. His message is not 
only for the empire of the image and two-horned but 
for the whole world. It has the right ring to it. 
No fear or worship of popes in it, or royal beasts; but 
the God that made all. To understand these prophe- 
cies, the reader should first understand that only 
those great crises, wars and revolutions, in history 
are noticed, which are intimately related to the pro- 
gress or retrogress of Christianity. Wars of succes- 
sions, wars of the roses, bloody conflicts about strips 
of territory or wars caused by insults to Madam Pom- 
padour are ignored. No religious principal is in- 
volved in these; only one class of two-legged animals 
fighting over a bone like dogs. Secondly, all great 
religious crises are noticed with their characteristic 
features in strict historical order. If God does not 
know how to write history on an intelligible plan 
who does? Third, these periods follow each other in 
the relation of cause and effect, action and reaction. 
Each prophecy is found in its logical place in history. 
And these periods have been the theme of a thousand 
pens and ten thousand voices. The imagery is no 
obstacle to finding the meaning. All language is 
imagery and these symbols being systematically 
used, when learned, are as easily understood as what 
by common usage is called literal. Suppose a per- 
son, read in church and civil history, was asked what 
important period in the history of Christianity occur- 
red after the alliance of. the papacy with the German 
powers, called the image of the beast? He would 
answer the period of the Inquisition. What next? 
The Lutherian period with its consequent wars and 
human slaughter. Just so. Here comes the first and 
the next in strict historical order, quickly follows. 



THE APOCALYPSE, 



61 



14-16. And I looked and behold a white cloud 
and on the cloud sat one like the Son of man having 
on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp 
sickle. And another angel came out of the temple 
crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud 
Thrust in thy sickle and reap for the time is come 
for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on 
the earth and the earth was reaped." As a sickle or 
scythe is used to cut and gather the harvest it has be- 
come the symbol of death. The movements, voices 
and loud proclamations which are a prelude to reap- 
ing the earth, indicate the magnitude of the pending 
crisis. First, Christ appears on a white cloud, with 
him 144,000 of the saints redeemed from among men 
being the first fruits unto God, and without fault be- 
fore him. They sung as it were a new song which 
none others could learn. Other celestial choristers 
with harpers peal out in heavenly strains as the voice 
of thunderings and many multitudes. What did 
that mean ? It meant Stand the test of fire my peo- 
ple and win a martyr's crown like these 144,000 have 
and you shall sing the new song also. Then an an- 
gel flys through the midst of heaven having the ever- 
lasting gospel for the dark empire, cursed with a 
dragonized gospel and to the whole world. That 
preaching repeated by men brought the sharp sickle 
into play to destroy its effects. 

8. And there followed another angel saying Bab- 
ylon is fallen is fallen that great city because she 
made all nations drunk with the wine of her fornica- 
tion." This is the first time Rome is called Babylon. 
As soon as the gospel was again proclaimed Babylon 
began to fall. There are a great many devices, se- 
cret societies, etc., to kill Babylon but the best means 



62 



NOTES ON 



is to strike her in the joints of her armor with the 
sword of radical gosped truth. If that was universal- 
ly done she would die like a snake on a hot iron. 
''Now ye saints about to perish in the flame and on 
the rack listen." 

9-12. And the third angel followed them, saying 
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and 
his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in 
his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the 
wrath of God which is poured out without mixture 
into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tor- 
mented with fire and brimstone in the presence of 
the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke 
of their torment ascendeth up forever and forever. 

Here is the patience of the saints 
here are they that keep the commandments of God 
and the faith of Jesus." That is, see the fate await- 
ing your murderers and tormenters inspired by the 
spirit of the old pagan beast and his successor the 
lamb horned. "Have patience." 

13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto 
me, Write blessed are the dead who die in the Lord 
from henceforth, Yea, saith the spirit that they may 
rest from their labors and their works do follow 
them." Thus you see the great pending trial in 
w T hich men were tested by fire and every torture the 
beasts could invent, aroused the interest of all heaven. 
God, Christ, angels, saints and the celestial world say 
with a loud voice to believers on earth — "Stand fast, 
yield not to the faggot, rack, gallows or dungeon : a 
martyr's crown awaits your fortitude, and fire and 
brimstone the beasts and those who willingly execut- 
ed their diabolical decrees. As most people have 
read or heard of the work of the Inquisition little 
space will be given to details. In the beginning of 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



63 



the thirteenth century pope Innocent III instituted 
the Inquisition to extirpate heresy among the Abbi- 
genses, a body of Christians occupying a large dis- 
trict in the south of France. A crusade was preached 
against them and all who enlisted were granted a 
plenary indulgence or immunity from punishment 
due their crimes. As Count Richmond had sym- 
pathized with his people, his estates were confiscated; 
hence a twenty years war in defense of life and prop- 
erty ensued in which hundreds of thousands were 
slain in battle or massacred. In the city of Beziers, 
the capital of the district, 20,000 men, women and 
children were massacred at one time by the crusaders. 
After that holocast they attacked the Waldenses in a 
district on the Italian side of the Alps. That strug- 
gle, from time to time, lasted for two centuries as the 
mountaineers made a gallant resistance. Burning, 
massacreing, torture and confiscation continued, since 
the pope bullied the local rulers to go on with the 
work of extirpation or anathemas would be hurled 
at them. Finally, what were left, were scattered 
over Europe, but they returned again in the seven- 
teenth century to their native valleys and actually 
defeated 20,000 French soldiers sent to destroy them. 
In Spain alone half a million perished by flame and 
torture. Torquenado, the first chief of the Inquisi- 
tion, burned alive 9000 in ten years and his succes- 
sor 1600 in eight years. And so the fire consumed 
for three centuries, heretics, Jews, Mohammedans, 
accused witches and in fact every one refusing to ac- 
cept the pretentions and dogmas of the two-horned. 
Spain then ruled the Indies and Netherlands. There 
fires burned fiercely. In the latter 50,000 perished 
and the former countless thousands. Portugal did 
the same, France continued wars to destroy the Hu- 



6 4 



NOTES ON 



guenots, massacred ten thousand in three days in Par- 
is and 50,000 all over France about the same time, 
Germany followed suit and many perished in Eng- 
land, Ireland and Scotland. John Wickliffe was 
the first at this period to sound the note of papal 
greed and corruption. After much persecution he 
died a natural death but the Catholics dug up his 
bones afterwards and burned them. John Huss of- 
Bohemia preached the gospel of the angel in 1400, in 
1415 they burned him alive and threw his ashes into 
the Rhine; Jerome of Prague was served the same 
way the following year. No wonder that all heaven 
moved to encourage these and doom the beasts to fire 
and brimstone. It was a great harvest of martyrs and 
"their works do follow them." The Eastern empire 
made war on the Paulites and other small sects, and 
broke out in civil war when an emperor decreed de- 
struction to their saint gods. Here follows the next 
reaper. 

17-20. And another angel came out of the temple 
which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 
And another angel came out of the altar which had 
power over fire and cried with a loud voice to him 
which had the sharp sickle saying, Thrust in thy 
sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the 
earth for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel 
thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the 
vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress 
of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden 
without the city and blood came out of the winepress 
even unto the horses bridles by the space of one thou- 
sand and six hundred furlongs." When in these 
prophecies an angel comes out from the altar and has 
power over fire it signifies a great human sacrifice. 
This prophecy introduces the great struggles in the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



65 



sixteenth and seventeenth centuries against popery 
backed by the image of the beast and includes the 
wars of the Reformation which involved all western 
Europe. During this period the English revolution 
against the Catholic Stewarts, in which Charles the 
First lost his head, occurred. Also the war against 
the Huguenots in France was continued, but the cen- 
tral struggle was in Germany and Austria, all the 
other powers being arrayed on one side or the other. 
From 1520 to 1555 the Lutherians were waging war 
with the emperor, Charles the Fifth. Circumstances 
favored them as the Turks, then a formidable power, 
were on the eastern borders of Germany conquering 
all before them, also he was at war with France. 
Thus after several passages at arms with varied suc- 
cess, the IvUtherians informed him he must either con- 
cede them the right to sever their relations with the 
church of Rome or fight the Turks and French him- 
self. Reluctantly he had to yield. War also raged 
between the votaries of the old church and the re- 
formed faith in Switzerland. The truce in Germany 
lasted till about 1608, but all the time from 1555 the 
Catholic emperors and the Catholic German states 
continued to trench upon their religious and consti- 
tutional rights. This led to the thirty years war in 
Germany between the Protestants and Catholics. To 
protect their rights the Protestants formed a league 
in 1608 and the Catholics including Spain, southern 
Germany and the German emperor with the resourses 
of Austria behind him. Ferdinand the II became 
emperor of Germany in 1619. He was educa- 
ted by the Jesuits and at Laretto he took a solemn 
oath before the altar of the "Mother of God" to re- 
store Catholicism as the sole religion of his dominions 
at any cost. In 1618 before he became emperor of 



66 



NOTES ON 



Germany he was king of Hungary and Bohemia and 
began to keep his oath to stamp out Protestantism in 
Bohemia where at that time two out of three of the 
population were of that faith, the fruits of the labors 
of John Huss and later reformers. The Bohemians 
refused to acknowledge Ferdinand as their king and 
chose the elector of Palatine their ruler. They flew 
to arms in defense of their chosen king and religious 
and political rights. In the first clash of arms they 
were successful but the Catholic league came to Fer- 
dinand's aid and in the battle near Prague in 1620 
they and their allies were overwhelmed by numbers. 
Then the work of rooting out Protestantism went on. 
with a high hand, also in Moravia and Hungary 
with less severity. All their chartered rights were 
revoked and the extermination of every thing anti- 
Catholic executed. By the Jesuits all protestant 
books, bibles, etc., were given to the flames, and 
death, confiscation and banishment decreed. Of 732 
cities in Bohemia at the beginning of the war only 
130 were left, of 30,700 villages 6000 and of 3,000,000 
inhabitants, 780,000 remained at the close of the war. 
When the massacre of Bohemians, Moravians and oth- 
er protestants was going on, theprotestant league dis- 
solved from terror, and Saxony joined Ferdinand in 
crushing the Bohemians. At his success so far in 
fulfilling his oath to "the Mother of God" Ferdinand 
became more insolent. Although the protestants had 
been defeated in the battle of Prague, Count Mans- 
field and Brunswick kept up guerilla warfare on the 
territories of the Catholic leaguers, which kept the 
latter busy. In 1624 Ferdinand insulted the king of 
Denmark and the Danes smarting under the insult 
offered to his majesty joined the protestants and re-in- 
forced by Mansfield of Piedmont and Brunswick ad- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



6 7 



vanced towards the enemy. But Wallenstein an able 
Austrian commander at the head of an army of Cath- 
olic volunteers from all quarters and another force un- 
der Tilly routed the Danes and their allies in two de- 
cisive engagements. The Danes had to accept a hu- 
miliating peace. This again threw a dark cloud over 
the cause of the protestants. But Mansfield kept up 
flying attacks on the Catholics in Moravia, Bohemia 
and Hungary. About this time he died — another 
loss to the cause. Ferdinand's head was turned 
worse than ever and he insulted the king of Sweden 
who with 30,000 men landed in Germany in 1630. 
This gave new life to the worsted protestants. Tilly, 
now in command of the Catholics, was no match for 
the Swede. He marched like a conquering hero 
through the heart of Germany everywhere hailed with 
acclamations as a deliverer, routing the enemy in 
every encounter, and entered Munich. But it was too 
late in the season to march against Vienna. Wallen- 
stein was again placed in command and by a skillful 
movement compelled the Swedes to retire into Sax- 
ony. Wallenstein gave battle there at I^utzen, where 
the hottest battle in history was fought. When the 
Swedes had about gained the day W T allenstein was re- 
inforced and the Swedes were driven back. The 
king, waving his sword, placed himself at their head 
and led them again to the charge. He received a 
shot in the arm and another in the body, falling from 
his horse within the enemies' lines. Seeing the rid- 
erless horse the Swedes were excited to deeds of des- 
perate valor to recover his body. After a desperate 
struggle over a field strewn with ten thousand dead 
and dying it was secured covered with wounds. They 
won the field but the great leader was lost. His 
monument stands where he fell and his anniversary 



68 



NOTES ON 



is still held in his memory. The Swedes held their 
advantage making destructive raids into Bohemia. 
But as the Protestants were defeated on the Rhine, ' 
Ferdinand believed one more vigorous effort would 
win, but he died about this time without seeing the 
fulfillment of his oath. Ferdinand III succeeded and 
the war went on. The Lutherians at this stage ob- 
tained concessions and left the Calvinists to fight 
alone. Owing to reverses on the Rhine, the Swedes 
were not able to conquer alone, but Providence pro-, 
vided a more effective agent than even the dead king 
was. Richelieu, an ordained Cardinal, was then 
managing spirit in France and though he had crushed 
the Protestants at home, he so thoroughly detested 
Austria that greater solicitude was felt for its humili- 
ation than for the pope's supremacy in Germany. 
First the Swedes were subsidized a large sum annu- 
ally as long as they would keep an army of 36,000 in 
the field against Austria. But the Swedish minister, 
doubting his ability to cope with the powerful Cath- 
olic leaguers turned the conduct of the war over to 
Richelieu. He accepted, and then one horn of the 
beast gored the other till he turned tail and cried 
enough. Richelieu at once sent a strong army under 
Conde and Tureune into the Netherlands and smote 
the Spaniards hip and thigh, pursued them along the 
Rhine, routing them in every encounter and, coming 
up with the Catholics in Bavaria, the great battle of 
Nordingden was fought which proved a Waterloo for 
the Catholics. In the mean time the Swedes on the 
north were scouring the country up to the gates of 
Vienna. An united advance on the city from the 
north and west was about to be executed when Fer- 
dinand, forsaken by most of his allies, begged a truce 
which ended in the peace of Westphalia in 1648. 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



6 9 



Great advantages, religious, political and territorial, 
were secured by the Protestants. That was the last 
so-called holy war of the Catholics, to compel all to 
accept their dogmas. Nearly at the same time Crom- 
well taught the Catholic rebels, in favor of the Stew- 
arts, in England, Scotland and Ireland, a lesson nev- 
er to be forgotten. Thus ended the second reaping 
and the last of the kind. What has been said here is 
the barest skeleton of the thirty years struggle; much 
of Germany like Bohemia was laid waste by armies 
inspired with fiendish sectarian bitterness as well as 
from the necessities of armed and little restrained 
soldiers and adventurers. 

20. And the winepress was trodden without the 
city and blood came out of the winepress even unto 
the horses' bridles by the space of a thousand six hun- 
dred furlongs." These many furlongs are 200 miles. 
By looking at the map Vienna, the city round which 
the conflict raged, falls within that distance of the 
most bloody battlefields. Bohemia, Moravia and 
Saxony on the north and Bavaria on the west. Also 
part of Hungary falls within that radius. There are 
five cities mentioned in the book. The holy city, 
Jerusalem, the great city spiritually called Sodom; 
Egypt, Paris; the great city Babylon, Rome; the city, 
Vienna; and the city of the New Jerusalem coming 
down from heaven. The prophet saw this scene as 
he saw all the other scenes. It was thrown out on 
the canvass of the heavens in one picture which 
grouped all the dead men, horses and bloodshed 
caused by the thirty years war, within a semicircle 
whose radius was 200 miles, the city being the cen- 
ter. The truth of the picture does not require all the 
killed in the war should be killed within that dis- 
tance, because one drawn on half the scale above 



7 o 



NOTES ON 



given would have shown the consequences of the war 
all the same. On a field where horses, their riders 
and footmen are weltering in their gore or swept by- 
shot and shell it is easy for the blood to reach the 
horses bridles. Nothing but the picture within these 
limits was seen by the prophet. If anything else 
outside he would have written it since his part was 
to write what he saw and heard. The command to 
him at the first was "What thou seest write." 

CHAPTER XV. 

VERSES 1-3. And I saw another sign in heaven 
great and marvelous, seven angels having the 
seven last plagues. And I saw as it were a sea of 
glass mingled with fire and them that had gotten the 
victory over the beast and over his image and over 
his mark and over the number of his name, standing 
on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And 
they sang the song of Moses the servant of God and 
the song of the Lamb, saying great and marvelous 
are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true art 
thou king of saints for thy judgments are made man- 
ifest. " The beast it should be kept in mind is pagan 
Rome and the spirit of paganism with its associate 
crimes and the image is the modern kingdoms ani- 
mated by a like spirit, with the same despotic char- 
acteristics. As seen, the mark is an oath of alle- 
giance to these powers and a willing co-operation 
and approval of their efforts to crush out truth and 
liberty. The number of his name means nearly the 
same. That is worship or admiration of the Latin 
kingdom founded by the Franks and the pope. The 
next great event of importance to religion was the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



71 



French Revolution, but in tracing the career of the 
two witnesses its deeds are found in chapter 11. 
What remains of this chapter is introductory to pour- 
ing out on the earth the seven last plagues, in which 
is filled up the wrath of God. And it is said no man 
was able to enter into the heavenly temple till the 
seven last plagues were fulfilled. It is noteworthy, 
not a single voice is heard in the following chapter 
till after the last plague is poured out save from the 
angels which inflict them. 



ERSES 1-2. And I heard a great voice out of 



V the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your 
ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon 
the earth. And the first went and poured out his 
vial upon the earth and there fell a noisesome and 
grievous sore upon them who had the mark of the 
beast and on them which worshipped his image." 
As this vial was poured out on some part of the old 
empire whose symbol is the earth, history and the 
period of time now reached alone can tell which part. 
As the wars of the reformation have been chronicled, 
the next great epoch strongly marked by a chastize- 
ment of the beast and his worshippers is the twenty 
years wars of Napoleon I. And these commenced 
exactly at the close of the French Revolution. The 
Convention beheaded or otherwise killed several 
thousand French royalist and corrupt priests and de- 
feated the other horns, but a double dose was needed 
to cause them to draw in their antlers and make them 
respect the religious and political rights of men. In 
1796 Napoleon was appointed commander-in-chief of 



CHAPTER XVI. 




72 



NOTES ON 



the army operating against Austria with whom the 
French were still at war. He crossed the Alps in 
April at the head of 30,000 men and in that year and 
the following he killed captured or dispersed five 
Austrian armies. Lombardy was then an Austrian 
possession. His army was subsisted on the Italians 
and almost everything an unbridled soldiery covet- 
ed was taken. Those cities which resisted were 
sacked. Works of art and relics were conveyed to 
Paris by its savans. The pope was severely snubbed 
for protesting against the excesses of the French and 
afterwards held a prisoner. A war indemnity of 50, 
000,000 franks was levied on the Italian provinces. 
Austria was compelled to sue for peace and to cede 
Lombard y and the Netherlands to France. In 1800 
Austria again revolted and was served as before with 
the loss of Venice. Twice again she tried the fortunes 
of war. The last time Russia came to her aid but both 
were beaten at the great battle of Austerlitz. Next 
Austria was expelled from the German Confederacy 
and in despair Francis II resigned the imperial dignity 
of hereditary emperor of Germany which his family 
had held for five hundred years. That with a loss of 
45,000 square miles of territory was a scorcher. And 
as if to humble the beast and his worshipers beyond 
measure, after whipping him like a cowering spaniel, 
he asked in marriage his daughter Marie Louise, and 
got her. Napoleon wanted to found a new dynasty. 
That was a noisesome and grevious sore which fell 
upon the beast and also upon the two-horned. 

3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon 
the sea and it became as the blood of a dead man and 
every living soul died in the sea." This time it is 
the fatherland. During the eight years Napoleon 
was cutting Austria to pieces and parcelling its pos- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



73 



sessions out among his relatives. Prussia, still smart- 
ing from the clawing she got from the wildcats of the 
Revolution, was shy. But as Napoleon was now em- 
peror of France, king of Italy, with brother Joseph 
king of the Scilies, it seemed dare or do worse. War 
was declared against the Corsican by all the powers. 
With great promptness he gave battle to the Prus- 
sians and literally annihilated them at the battle of 
Jena and Armstadt. The loss to the Germans alto- 
gether was about 75,000, that of the French small. 
While the victor was firing paper bullets at England 
from a Berlin standpoint, Russia appeared on the 
borders of Germany to help Prussia. At once he 
marched to the conflict, fought the great battle of 
Friedland, routed the bear which begged for quarter. 
Now Portugal had the audacity to trade with Eng- 
land contrary to orders. It was captured, also Spain. 
As he had work elsewhere, Soulte was left in com- 
mand while brother Joseph became king. Here the 
English entered the lists with a land force. By this 
time Lord Nelson had destroyed the fleets of France 
and her allies. In 181 2 Russia again declared war. 
Napoleon raised an army of half a million to strike a 
blow there that would last. The Russian army re- 
treated harrassing his march and removing or destroy- 
ing supplies. He pushed forward in hopes of forcing 
a fight. One hundred thousand of his force fell ex- 
hausted on the march. At Borodino, near Moscow, 
a great battle was fought, 240,000 were engaged and 
the killed and wounded were 80,000. The French 
held the field but the Russians again retreated in 
good order. Moscow was entered but the population 
fled. While dreaming of a brief repose the city was 
set on fire. In November through ice and snow the 
French had to beat a retreat while swarms of Cos- 



74 



NOTES ON 



sack horsemen hung- on their rear cutting off all who 
fell out of the ranks. Of the half million men led 
against Russia 25,000 got back to France. News of 
British victories in Spain with the disastrous 
Russian campaign inspired the allies to strain every 
nerve to crush him in the hour of his reverses. Half 
a million of Prussians, Austrians, Swedes and Rus- 
sians were concentrated in Germany. Nothing 
daunted another French army of 350,000 men was 
raised and led across the Rhine. At the beginning 
of the campaign fortune seemed as usual to favor him. 
It is said Napoleon never showed more ability than 
on that occasion, but he was out-numbered two to 
one. In the closing trial of strength both sides mus- 
tered all their available forces at Leipsic the allies 
numbering 300,000 and the French 180,000. For 
three days the combat raged but the allies confi- 
dent in their superior numbers and that the emperor's 
fortunes were waning held the field. The French re- 
treated pursued by the victors into France. When 
Napoleon crossed the Rhine he had 80,000 of the 
350,000 men he led into Germany. Whilst the Rus- 
sian and German sanguinary conflict was in progress, 
Wellington and Soulte were pegging away in Spain. 
The latter was forced to abandon that country, was 
pursued into France and there again defeated. On 
the allies entry into Paris Napoleon abdicated. 
The isle of Elba was assigned him for his empire with 
a liberal pension. An army of observation with 
Wellington in command was stationed in Bel- 
gium composed of about 30,000 English vet- 
erans of the Spanish war 30,000 Prussians with 
perhaps 60, 000 Belgians, Hessians, Hanov- 
erians and Netherlanders mostly raw recruits. 
In ten months the exile was back in Paris when most 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



75 



of the army again flocked to his standard. At the 
head of 125,000 men he was soon on the march for 
the allied forces. At Ligny the Prussians were en- 
countered and defeated. A division of Well i no-ton's 
met the same fate at Quartre Bras. The English 
commander retreated to Waterloo where he made a 
stand fighting on the defensive in hope of being re- 
enforced by the Prussians later in the day. The Eng- 
lish veterans formed the center and the German, 
Netherlanders, etc., formed the right and left. Napo- 
leon's force were chiefly veterans who had fought 
many battles under him. From accounts it seems 
the French had taken the position held by the allies 
on the left early in the day, but the French Com- 
mander fearing the appearance of the Prussians who 
by some mistake had been allowed after their defeat 
at Ligny, to retreat on a line parallel with Welling- 
ton's force, whereas it was the plan of Napoleon to 
cut the communication between them and defeat both 
in detail. For fear, however, of Wellington being 
joined by the Prussians desperate attacks were made 
on the center held by the English to break it and 
route Wellington's whole command before it was pos- 
sible for the Prussians to come to his relief. To ac- 
complish this, column after column of the flower of 
the French army was thrown against it. It could not 
be done. In the moment of confusion from these re- 
pulses, the first division of the Prussians was reported 
at hand. Soon they joined in the fight and drove the 
French from their advantage gained on the left. 
Now the other Prussian division 15,000 strong hove 
in sight. When the French repulsed and demoralized 
in the center and rolled up like a scroll on the 
right and left became panic stricken, flying in con- 
fusion with the fresh Prussians pursuing them far in- 
to the night. Napoleon gave himself up as a prison- 



76 



NOTES ON 



er of war. This time he was sent to the island of St. 
Helena where he died in four or five years. Louis 
XVIII was restored to the throne of France. Thus 
the marriage into the Hapsburg family to found a dy- 
nasty brought nothing save trouble and dispair. Thus 
ended also the vial poured on the sea which cost per- 
haps two million lives of men, in addition, likely, to 
half as many horses. None but God knows how 
many of both. The carnage in that eight years war 
in the symbolic sea was grouped in one scene as pre- 
sented to the prophet's eye and every creature he saw 
in the sea, and had life died. Outside of that sea of 
blood and death his vision did not extend because the 
purpose of the prophecy was not to show how many 
people were left alive in central Europe after the war, 
but to show the amount of bloodshed consequent of 
men's tyranny and great wickedness. 

4. And the third angel poured out his vial upon 
the rivers and fountains of waters and they became 
blood." As rivers and fountains of waters signify 
many nations, the bloodshed extended over a large 
part of the world. That being true little more is 
possible within our limits than to point out the na- 
tions where it occurred. After Napoleon was ban- 
ished in 1815, as far as possible all that he had done 
was undone. Bourbons were placed back on the 
thrones of France and Spain; Austria had her Italian 
possessions restored which again put the neck of these 
people under the heel of the pope and tyrannical 
Hapsburgs. A stifling reaction set in over most of 
Europe, every movement for electoral or constitution- 
al reform was ruthlessly crushed. Also the corrupt 
church again seated herself on the 1 'scarlet colored 
beast" as chief advisor at court, hostile to religious 
and political liberty. The Inquisition was restored 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



77 



in Spain, which Napoleon had abolished. In 1830 a 
revolution in France deposed Charles X and Louis 
Philippe, his successor, resigned in the revolution of 
1848. In the latter, Louis Napoleon who had been 
conspiring for years to step into his uncle's shoes was 
made President of the Republic. As usual in that 
nation the Red Republicans rose and after much loss 
of life were suppressed. As the Assembly and Napo- 
leon could not both be absolute rulers the latter was 
suppressed by force also when Napoleon made him- 
self emperor of the French. In 1854 he joined Eng- 
land in the Crimean war against Russia which cost 
France greatly in life and treasure without any ad- 
vantages in return; and in 1858 united forces with 
Sardinia to drive Austria out of Italy. That would 
have been to his credit had he not at the same time 
stationed an army in Rome to protect the pope 
against the Italians who aspired to make that city the 
capital of the nation. To found a Latin empire in 
America he attempted in 1863 to f°^ st Maxillian a 
Hapsburg on Mexico, wdiich proved disastrous to all 
concerned. These revolutions and wars were the 
part played by France in turning the waters to blood. 
Ferdinand the VII of Spain was restored to the throne 
in 181 2. From the day he assumed power he acted 
infamously. Spaniards had stood loyally by him 
against the French usurper. The Cortez framed a 
more liberal constitution but the creature scouted all 
their efforts. • When they rose against the ingrate, he 
called in a French army and crushed the revolt. His 
fifth wife had a daughter named Isabella whom the 
old man desired to succeed him. To this end the 
Spanish law of succession was changed so females 
might be legitimate heirs to the throne. On his 
death the supporters of Don Carlo as heir under the 



78 



NOTES ON 



old law took up arms to vindicate his claims. That 
led to five years of civil war. Then Espartero and 
Christina the mother of Isabella quarrelled about 
which should act as regent during the girl's minority. 
McDonald ousted Hspartero for a time, but he re- 
turned to power and drove Christina out of the coun- 
try. Several new constitutions were made and un- 
made after that, as well as a rapid succession of min- 
istries each of which caused a war or revolt of some 
magnitude. A war now occurred with the Moors, a 
war with Chili, a war with Peru and wars all around. 
By a general uprising Isabella was banished when a 
Republic was proclaimed. " That afforded another 
opportunity for the Don Carlos heirs to again put 
in their claim under the old law and the vacancy. 
Two years of anarchy followed. A king was then 
imported from Italy but he soon discovered Spain 
was no place for him to play king so finally Alphonso 
the son of Isabella was crowned king, since which 
nothing tragic has transpired of a national nature. 
That was the part Spain performed in causing the 
waters to become blood. The struggle with brief in- 
termissions, for the union and independence of the 
Italian provinces lasted from the time Austria recov- 
ered Lombard y and Venice in 1820 till 1870 when 
Napoleon's downfall caused the withdrawal of the 
French army from Rome. Secret society conspira- 
cies, homicide and emutes continued. Every rising 
was savagely put down by Austria which together 
with the pope ruled in fact over all the districts and 
islands. Dungeons and death at Rome and elsewhere 
caused the civilized world to shudder. Piedmont 
first took the lead in open warfare and while partial- 
ly successful at the outset was eventually defeated. 
Agitation, insurrections and conspiracies continued 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



79 



till the king of Sardinia placed himself at the head 
of the Italian national party. By joining France 
and England in the Crimean war he gained a hearing 
among the great powers respecting the misrule of 
Austria and the pope in Italy. Napoleon declared 
war against Austria and the Sardinians aided by the 
French defeated the former and drove him out of 
Italy. During the hottest of the conflict the pope 
fled from Rome but Napoleon escorted him back 
placing a French army at his command to hold pos- 
session of the estates of the church and keep the It- 
alian king from making Rome his capital. For this 
the pope dubbed hirn "the eldest son of the church." 
In the Austro-German and Franco-German wars Italy 
rounded out her nationality, making Rome the capi- 
tal which caused a protest from the Catholic world in 
general and the pope in particular. Hungary struck 
for independence in 1848. With Kossuth for presi- 
dent and able commanders the Austrians were defeat- 
ed in the first campaign but in the second Russia 
came to her assistance which overwhelmed the Mag- 
yars. As usual the Austrian butchers and hangmen 
wreaked vengence on the vanquished. At Vienna a 
rising of the people took place and the emperor fled; 
being coaxed back another rising caused him to flee 
again when he abdicated. Many of the students and 
citizens engaged in the uprising were hung or shot 
after they surrendered. Bohemians rose and were 
squelched; so did the Silicians with the Poles who 
were cruelly dealt with by Prussia and Russia. Peo- 
ple of the German states demanded electoral and con- 
stitutional reform, seconding the demands by rising 
against the powers that be in various places. About 
that time the Prussians and Danes were at war about 
a strip of territory belonging to Denmark on the 



8o 



NOTES ON 



North Sea. Then followed the war between Austria 
and Prussia as to which should be the biggest toad in 
the German puddle. Each mustered 350,000 men of 
all arms. The war was short, sharp and deadly re- 
sulting in Austria's entire exclusion from the German 
confederacy which was re-organized about 1870 under 
Prussian auspices. These long and costly conflicts, 
just hinted at here, was the part the Italians, Hun- 
garians, Bohemians, Poles, Danes, Prussians, Aus- 
trians and Germans generally contributed in causing 
the waters (nations) to become bloody. England 
had no civil war at home saving perhaps chronic dis- 
turbances and some killing in "suffering Ireland." 
Taking the hint from continental revolutions slavery 
in her colonies was abolished and other re- 
forms demanded by the people were conceded, but 
in 1854 she had the Crimean war on her hands which 
lasted two years. France, Sardinia, Turkey and 
England on one side and Russia on the other. Also 
the suppression of the great East India mutiny taxed 
her energies, a war with China occurred within the 
same period. That was the British share in staining 
the waters with blood. Eater the Turko-Russia war 
sent tens of thousands to their graves. In America, 
Texans and Mexicans were at war, the United States 
and Mexico and the North and the South fought four 
years in the war of the Rebellion. Chronic wars in 
South America contributed to the American part of 
causing the waters to become red with blood. All 
these wars all over the world took place within a per- 
iod of twenty years. 

5-7. And I heard the angel of the waters say, 
Thou art righteous, O Eord, that art and wast and 
shall be because thou hast judged thus. For they 
have shed the blood of saints and of prophets. And 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



81 



thou hast given them blood to drink for they are 
worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, 
Even so Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are 
thy judgments." Here is found the true reason why 
all the nations reveled in bloodshed. The question 
has been asked, why all these prophecies refer to 
events which transpired within the Roman empire 
and the nations which succeeded it as a dominant 
power? A knowledge of the facts is the best answer 
to that question. While for obvious reasons a great 
portion treats of Rome and the German nations, all 
nations are involved in its contents. As we under- 
stand the term citizen, Christ and his apostles were 
citizens of the Roman empire, were born in it, lived 
and died in it. The gospel was not to any consider- 
able extent preached outside the territory originally 
embraced within that empire till the sixteenth cen- 
tury, when missionary work began in other parts of 
the earth. About then Jesuit priests followed the dis- 
coveries of Spain and Portugal in America. Later 
Protestants missionaries followed Holland and Eng- 
land. Systematic and general work of this kind is of 
comparatively late date. Hence nothing could be 
said about the fortunes of Christianity where it did 
not exist. Again, the Roman empire was much 
larger likely, than many persons suppose. It was so 
large both Bible writers and historians generally use 
the terms, earth and world, when speaking of it. It 
extended from the Atlantic on the west, to the Eu- 
phrates on the east and at times to the Persian Gulf, 
from the Arabian and African deserts on the south, 
to Armenia, the Danube and the Rhine or the North 
Sea on the north. Often beyond these boundaries 
into Dacia beyond the Danube, also into portions of 
Germany beyond the Rhine. Many different rac- 



86 



NOTES ON 



Germany demanded the cession of Alsace and Loraine 
with a money indemnity of one billion of dollars in 
gold, the German army to occupy the country till it 
was paid. In three years it was paid when the 
army of occupation left. For the last twenty years 
both sides have been increasing their armies and ar- 
maments with a view of fighting it over again. It is 
said the scorching caused men to blaspheme the name 
of God, but they repented not to give him glory. 
Blasphemy, in such a case, likely consisted on the 
part of atheists, in declaring there was no God, while 
others attributed their calamities to God instead of 
their own sins. For centuries the French though 
often at war had fought their battles on the enemies' 
soil and while they laid waste their neighbors' fields 
and cities, their poeple at home followed their usual 
vocations electrified by the brilliant achievements of 
their armies and attending the endless rounds of mer- 
ry making for which they are noted. This vial made 
it hot at home. What with the German fire without; 
the anarchist fire within; the loss of two provinces; 
the loss of prestige and the billion dollars in gold; it 
was a scorcher. At this point it is thought prophecy 
and history are abreast. What can be known of the 
future must to some extent be by reasoning from the 
past, premising that like causes in the future will 
produce like effects as in the past. In this sense his- 
tory is said to be constantly repeating itself. How- 
ever, as the imagery employed has always substantial- 
ly the same meaning and as the same political and re- 
ligious agencies are the actors on the stage for some 
time yet, as has been for more than a thousand years, 
the future of this world is not veiled in such impene- 
trable darkness, as careless people would like to per- 
suade themselves as well as others. 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



87 



Verses 10-11. And the fifth angel poured out his 
vial upon the seat of the beast and his kingdom was 
full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues for 
pain. And blasphemed the God of heaven because 
of their pains and their sores and repented not of their 
deeds." The first power erected on the ruins of the 
old empire called the beast with ten horns in chapter 
13 was the Latin empire of the Franks. ^ But as the 
horns of a beast are part of the beast, the horns both 
singly and collectively are also called the beast be- 
cause of the same nature. While the empire founded 
by Charlemagne and the pope endured, France was 
the seat or headquarters of the beast. When, how- 
ever, that empire was sub-divided in the tenth cen- 
tury among different branches of that dynasty, the 
German branch inherited the title of Emperor of the 
Romans. Thus the seat of the beast was transferred 
to old Germany. Again in the thirteenth century 
the Hapsburgs of Austria became the hereditary em- 
perors of Germany, which removed the seat of the 
beast to Vienna in Austria. Vienna, up to the be- 
ginning of the present century from the time of Char- 
lemagne, was in Germany together with the whole 
Austrian empire. If then Austria, as is most conso- 
nant with current history, is the seat of the modern 
beast, old Germany has lost the unenviable distinc- 
tion. The beast is a character more than a name. 
As Germany, Austria and Italy have formed an alli- 
ance, offensive and defensive, the vial may extend to 
all three and indirectly to other beasts which are used 
as the instrumentality. It is not common for one 
beast to kill or almost kill another, without o-ettinor 
hurt. The calamity however which the text says 
filled "his kingdom full of darkness" may be a rebel- 
lion or revolution of the heterogeneous nations con- 



8 4 



NOTES ON 



in the empire occurred, "a third part of the sun was 
smitten" and darkened forever because Christian vic- 
tory over the pagans in 323 transformed pagan Rome 
into Christian Rome in which the pagan third part of 
the population had no voice or official position. 
When the Barbarians overthrew the empire in 475 
there was no central political power in western Eu- 
rope for three hundred years, but when the Franks 
and the papacy restored the western empire in 800, 
France became the sun of western Europe. France 
was the base of military operations and the political 
center from which Pepin le Gros, Charles Martel, Pep- 
in le Bref and Charlemagne conquered the German 
Roman empire around which for a time all provinces, 
states and kingdom in that empire revolved. Hence 
as the central power was removed to Prance the sun be- 
came its symbol and there the angel poured out the 
fourth vial. Territorially viewed that nation is justly 
regarded by writers as central. Britain and Spain on 
the west, Switzerland and Italy on the south, Austri- 
an empire on the southeast, Germany, Netherlands 
and Scandanavia on the northeast. Having been a 
Roman colony five hundred years before German bar- 
barians seized it, it had a great start of them in civil- 
ization. Thus by being the sun or imperial center 
of the Frankish empire and by its superior intelli- 
gence and material progress France was the great 
power and light of that time and onward. Paris it is 
said is France, a nation of great extremes. It is the 
center of infidelity and atheism, the center of bigotry 
and credulity, the center of despotism and the center 
of Red Republicanism, the center of wealth and of 
squalor, the center of ignorance of science and learn- 
ing, the center of war, of revolutions, sensations, 
duels and blatherskites, the center of fashions, of 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



85 



folly and of licentiousness, it is the center of the na- 
tions ruled over by the beast that "ascendeth out of 
the bottomless pit" and it will be in the center when 
"he goeth into perdition." All nations watch France 
as all watch the sun. In 1870 Louis Napoleon find- 
ing that he was becoming unpopular with the restless 
French, decided to restore his prestige by whipping 
the Germans; so for a trifling excuse he declared war 
on them. He was confident that he would dictate 
terms to the Germans from Berlin in a month, as his 
uncle did in 1808. Unfortunately for him perhaps 
the ability of his great kinsman was lacking nor was 
the Germany of 1870 exactly like the Germany of 
1808. Before he was well ready an army of half a 
million had crossed the Rhine and in a month instead 
of being in Berlin, 350,000 French were killed, taken 
prisoners or cooped up in fortresses. Paris was in re- 
volt clamoring for his resignation. The empress 
who had been acting as regent fled to England. By 
September Louis was a prisoner with the greater part 
of his army. What remained crossed into Switzer- 
land. In that month Paris was beseiged on every 
side without any communication with the outside 
world save by balloon or carrier pigeons. For four 
months the city was subjected to a galling fire of shot 
and shell, night and day. Provisions inside became 
exhausted; Red Republicans got the upper hand in 
March and riot, bloodshed and robbery continued for 
nearly two months. Great buildings and monuments 
were torn down, as it was alleged, they were the 
"monuments of tyranny." The city was set on fire 
burning for several days. In May, by German per- 
mission, McMahon entered with a division of the re£- 
ular army and after a hand to hand conflict the an- 
archists were suppressed. As a condition of peace, 



82 



NOTES ON 



es and nations composed its population. Italians, 
Greeks, Syrians, Jews, Arabians, Africans, Celts, 
Germans and Slavonians. On their borders they 
were in constant touch with different eastern and Af- 
rican races. Thus it is seen the Roman empire in its 
greatest extent presented a wide field of conflict be- 
tween paganism, Judaism and Christianity for nearly 
1500 years before America or eastern Asia and the 
islands of the seas, were either not known or no in- 
tercourse was had with them. Those countries may 
in time like the Roman and German have their per- 
iod of power and development when the latter like its 
predecessors shall disappear as great powers which 
will occur within the next century. The plague just 
considered extended, as has been shown from history, 
to all the principal nations in the four quarters of the 
earth. And the two last plagues also affect the whole 
world. Now that almost all countries are connected 
by telegraph and rapid steam communication what 
affects one nation either directly or indirectly affects 
all. The truth of this is seen in the war between 
China and Japan, two pagan nations on the other side 
of the globe. Yet all European powers together with 
the United States became actors in some sense in the 
controversy several of whom were ready to declare 
war on Japan, unless it consented to modify the 
terms of peace China had accepted. Such all pre- 
vailing meddlesomeness will for the future get all the 
nations by the ears when any two of them engage in 
war or if a rebellion occurs to encourage or suppress 
it. If such a war had happened one century back 
few in Europe or America would have heard of it. 
At the present time, power, pride, greed, impudence 
and rapid transit, excites a general rivalry over com- 
parative trifles in every corner of the world. 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



83 



Verses 8-9. And the fourth angel poured out his 
vial upon the Sun and power was given him to scorch 
men with fire. And men were scorched with a great 
heat and blasphemed the name of God who hath 
power over these plagues and they repented not to 
give him glory." When the Roman empire was di- 
vided into ten kingdoms, which for centuries have 
differed widely in their religious and political institu- 
tions, in the prophecy it became necessary to have a 
different name or symbol for each one when especial- 
ly punished for its sins. In keeping with this plan 
of distinguishing one section or nation from another, 
Italy the ancient part of the old empire retains the 
name earth, while central Europe settled by the Teu- 
tonic people is called the sea. Smaller groups of 
states are called rivers of waters, and all people 
fountains and rivers of waters. As the sea is the 
fountain of waters when figuratively used "fountains 
and rivers of waters" may either mean all provinces 
and kingdoms in a great empire or as the context 
may show imply all the nations of the earth. This 
method of reference is based on the word "waters," 
the symbol of peoples. When nations as organized 
political bodies are alluded to, they are signified by 
the words "mountains and islands" but the imperial 
government of an empire like Rome is signified by 
the Sun because as the sun is the center of our solar 
system so a powerful central state among a group of 
states is the central power of the system. In chapter 
6 verse 12 in describing the social and political chaos 
during the period of anarchy in the empire between 
250 and 284 A. D. the sun, it is said, "became black 
as sackcloth of hair." That is the imperial govern- 
ment was paralyzed and powerless. Again in chapter 
8 verse 12 where the overthrow of pagan supremacy 



88 



NOTES ON 



stituting the Austrian empire. It is thought Austria 
more especially is meant because when the first vial 
was poured out against Austria in Italy "A griev- 
ous and noisesome sore fell upon the men which had 
the mark of the beast and upon those who worshipped 
his image." At that time, 1800, Francis II was em- 
peror of Germany. Soon after he was compelled to 
resign that dignity and assumed that of Emperor of 
Austria, but the characteristics which entitled Aus- 
tria to the name "seat of the beast" still remain in 
full force. Catholic priests at Vienna or at Rome 
rule it, constantly intrigueing to crush out every- 
thing not in'line with papal ambition to rule Europe 
and the world religiously and politically to the ut- 
most extent possible. One thing is clear there is 
woe near at hand for the kingdom of the "seat of the 
beast." A kingdom full of darkness and its people 
gnawing their tongues for pain, forebodes confusion, 
dismay and suffering. Yet it is said "they will not 
repent of their deeds." Of course the victims of a 
false religion and false ideas of morality and govern- 
ment u wax worse and worse deceiving and being de- 
ceived." If the writer is correct in his views this 
plague is near at hand and will prove the beginning 
of the end of the great powers of Europe. 

Verses 12-16. And the sixth angel poured out his 
vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water 
'thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the 
east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean 
spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, 
and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the 
mouth of the false prophet. For they are the 
spirits of devils, working miracles, which go 
forth unto the kings of the earth and of 
the whole world, to gather them to the battle 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



89 



of that great day of God Almighty. Behold I come 
as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth 
his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his 
shame. And he gathered them together into a place 
called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon." Likely 
the previous vial when poured on the seat of the 
beast will inaugurate this general struggle, because 
the nation indicated is profoundly interested in the 
solution of the question involved. The great river 
Euphrates runs through the center of the Turkish 
empire rising in Armenia where the Turks lately 
massacred thousands of christians. The drying up 
of the waters of the river is, figuratively, a very apt 
description of the moral, political and financial con- 
dition of that empire at the present moment. It is 
thoroughly rotten and has been for many years. All 
christian nations agree that it deserves to be ex- 
punged from the map of nations, but the question 
what shall be done with its territory? cannot be satis- 
factorily settled by the great powers. All, to main- 
tain the balance of power, want a large slice and the 
best slice or the others shall have none at all. For 
this reason England and some of the other powers 
have guaranteed the integrity of that empire against 
Russian encroachment. So far that policy has been 
partly successful in staving off the inevitable clash of 
arms over the sick man's estate, but it will come and 
that shortly. It will be the battle of the ages. The 
Turk, like Samson, will destroy more lives in his 
death than in his life. Insane rulers of the nations 
inspired by evil spirits and blinded by false religions, 
will force the crisis. As the afifairs of the world now 
stand it will require little to precipitate it. If we 
had the eyes of the prophet, the foul spirits could now 
be seen coming out of the mouths of pagans, the so- 



go' 



NOTES ON 



called christian powers and the false prophet. The 
multiplication of armies, battle ships, rapid firing and 
repeating guns is the rage. All institutions of learn- 
ing are training the youth how to kill the enemy 
in the latest style. Rivalry for every scrap of territory 
in every corner of the earth. In what sense will the 
exhaustion of the Turkish empire "prepare the way 
for the kings of the east?" The Sultan of Constanti- 
nople is the head of Islamism, and the devotees of 
that faith are even more zealous for its defense and 
propagation than the Roman Catholics for the su- 
premacy of the pope and their church dogmas. As 
christian nations will be the apparent agency of its 
disruption, intense excitement and a rush to arms will 
occur throughout the Mohammedan world. There 
are, perhaps, more than a hundred millions of that 
persuasion east of the river, British India alone has 
fifty millions, then there is Persia, Afghanistan, Cau- 
cacia and several states besides in central Asia. In 
China and the islands of the Pacific there are several 
millions. To these a religious war will be preached 
in the name of God and the prophet, by which their 
ancient enthusiasm will be fired. That is all reason- 
able. Then the pagans east of the river, from mo- 
tives of conquest or inspiration of the war devil, will 
join in the battle to get even, perhaps, with Russia 
and France who have made themselves odious to the 
Japanese by their meddlesome selfishness in the late 
war. Their time for retaliation will come when Russia 
and her French ally have their hands more than full 
in eastern Europe and Asia Minor. The first devil 
came out of the mouth of the pagan, which has to an 
extent taken place in the war between China and Jap-^ 
an, having prepared the way for hatred to the Rus- 
sian, German and French beasts for snatching the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



91 



fruits of victory from Japan, now a warlike nation 
not to be despised. African and Bast Indian pagans, 
inspired by the beast and false prophets, will also be 
gathered at Armageddon. Next, the sinister, quar- 
relsome and beligerant war devil came out of trie 
mouth of the beast. He is out now, and each of the 
horns is confident with his half million standing army 
which can be raised to five or ten millions, that he 
can whip any one of the rest, or with his ally can 
whip all the remainder. This with the more-terri- 
tory .devil will enlist all these, together, likely, with 
their colonies and cousins in America in the great 
battle of God Almighty. Then the bubble of great 
armies, oppressive taxation, debt and sailing around 
the world in rivalry for the lands of weak people, will 
burst; Christian colleges founded ostensibly to teach 
youth how to save souls, after that, will pay less at- 
tention to teaching them the most approved way of 
killing men. Who is the false prophet? In future 
chapters he is mentioned, which furnishes a clue to 
his- identity. Wherever found he is in an evil busi- 
ness and of course nothing save wickedness can come 
out of his mouth, to pervert and deceive the nations 
to their utter destruction. At first the writer thought 
the false prophet meant Mohammedanism. In care- 
fully considering the career of the false prophet, a 
different conclusion is reached. In chapter 19 verse 
20 we read u and the beast was taken and with him 
the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, 
with which he deceived them that had received the 
mark of the beast and them that worshipped his im- 
age." Again, by turning to chapter 13 and reading 
from the nth to the 15th verses, it is seen who this 
deceiver was, being none other than the religious 
beast with "two horns like a lamb and spake as a pa- 



9 2 



NOTES ON 



gan or dragon. His pretended miracles, believed by 
the ignorant Romans, enabled him and the Franks 
to re-establish the empire. See the 13th and 14th 
verses of that chapter. The false prophet has sever- 
al, aliases. These foul spirits which went out of the 
mouths of the trio, called spirits of devils, working > 
miracles, go forth to the kings of the earth and of the 
whole world to gather them together to the battle. 
What kind of miracles did or will these spirits of dev- 
ils perform? The false prophet's miracles of course 
will be a fraud like the deception he is said to have 
practiced in chapter 13 and nobody suspects pagans 
or the great powers of the earth capable of perform- 
ing a genuine miracle in the sense that term is com- 
monly used. It is the manner of the prophecy, how- 
ever, to style that a miracle which is pretended and 
believed to be such, though, as in chapter 13, it is 
called a deception. ' Doubtless the same is true of 
these devil spirits out of the mouth of the diabolical 
trio. Like other words, the word miracle has differ- 
ent shades of meaning, as doing "wonders" or as in 
this case professing to be able to do "wonders' 1 which 
the person or nation on trial cannot do hence a gross 
and fatal deception. These so-called spirits of devils 
literally signify the spirit which inspire these powers 
and the false prophet. All evil spirits in scripture 
are called spirits of devils, though as in this case they 
come out of men's mouths and actions. The wonder 
performing of the trio would seem to take this form 
in its literal aspects. You talk to the English horn 
about war and possible defeat. He will declare 
"England cannot be conquered." Go over into 
France and you will soon learn that "France, as now 
marshalled, is invincible against any single nation or 
against the world backed by her Russian ally." This 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



93 



is the French devil working wonders. Cross the 
Rhine into Germany, no true patriotic German will 
admit for a moment that the army of the Kaiser can 
be whipped. This is the German war devil doing 
wonders or miracles. Of course the United States 
cannot be whipped backed by her new navy. So 
much for the American wonder-working devil . Go 
the whole rounds of pagan, christian and mohammed- 
an and the story is the same. Inspired by this spirit 
and confident of their prowess, they will marshal 
their millions at Armageddon, when it will be dis- 
covered the wonder-working spirit of devils has 
grossly deceived them to their ruin. What part will 
the false prophet devil play? As in the past he will 
be on the top of the war wave telling the Catholic 
powers to go into the battle with his blessing, since 
as the head of Christ's church he knows it is the will 
of heaven that the Turk should be vanquished, which 
will open a wider field for the holy Catholic church. 
Lately in a letter to Americans he hopefully looked 
for their general conversion; more recently he wrote 
to the English in the same vein. Likely such am- 
bitious- hope is also a delusion wrought by the won- 
der-working spirit but it is no less true on that ac- 
count. Armageddon is in Palestine near Mt. Carmel 
in the great plain which extends from the Mediter- 
ranean to the river Jordan near the center of the 
Turkish empire and not far from the sea coast. It is 
a most convenient place to concentrate the armies of 
the world, also their iron-clads. Several wars have 
already been over that question but this one will fin- 
ish the subject. The signs of the times and prophecy 
indicate the event is not far off. Great material. and 
moral interests are at stake which cannot be compro- 
mised or arbitrated, because as seen from the text the 



94 



NOTES ON 



devils are pushing things to a crisis. It is said "Be- 
hold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth 
and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and 
they see his shame." These things will come upon 
the world as a thief comes unexpectedly, but blessed 
are they who are fully awake to the deceitfulness of 
sin and to the duty of being clothed with truth and 
righteousness. Such will never be ashamed in life or 
in death. 

Verses 17-21. And the seventh angel poured out 
his vial into the air and there came a great voice out 
of the temple of heaven, saying, It is done. And 
there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and 
there was a great earthquake, such as was not since 
men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake 
and so great. And the great city was divided into 
three parts and the cities of the nations fell and Great 
Babylon came into remembrance before God to give 
unto her the cup of the fierceness of his wrath. And 
every island fled away and the mountains were not 
found. And there fell a great hail upon men out of 
heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent and 
men blasphemed God because of the plague of the 
hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great." 
This is the last plague in which it is said, chapter 15, 
The wrath of God is filled up. As this vial was 
poured into the air its effects will be general, either 
directly or indirectly extending to the whole world, 
since the air envelopes the globe. This plague sig- 
nifies the greatest upheaval, destruction, commotion 
and revolution ever experienced by men. Several 
symbolic earthquakes, thunderings, etc., are de- 
scribed in the book. In chapter 6 verse 12 an earth- 
quake signified the anarchy which prevailed in pa- 
gan Rome during the reign of the "thirty tyrants." 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



95 



To figuratively describe the great massacre of the 
Christians in the reign of Diocletian, Galerius and 
Maximius in 302 A. D., there were voices and thun- 
derings and lightnings and an earthquake and fire 
mingled with blood, see chapter 8. In this case the 
overthrow of pagan power in Rome was included. 
In chapter 11 verse 14 occurs an earthquake which 
refers to the French Revolution. In the same chap- 
ter verse 19 another is mentioned, but it relates, as 
shown by the context, to scenes connected with the 
earthquake, now under consideration. These earth- 
quakes in every instance signify that at the time of 
their fulfilment great social, political or religious con- 
vulsions shake the world. But so mighty a convul- 
sion as this never before shook and shattered the so- 
cial and religious structures of men. The great city 
will be divided into three parts and the cities of the 
nations fell and great Babylon came into remem- 
brance before God to give unto her according to her 
deserts. There are only two great cities mentioned 
in the prophecy and the wreck of both is included in 
this last plague. In chapter 11 verse 8, Paris is 
called "The great city which spiritually is called 
Sodom and Egypt." The other called Babylon the 
great is introduced in chapter 14 verse 8 represented 
as fallen from her high pinnacle by the religious and 
political changes wrought by the Reformation. The 
division of Paris into three parts doubtless means the 
three factions now existing will destroy each other 
and the city. Politically they are hopelessly divided 
into Red Republicans or socialists, Conservative Re- 
publicans and Monarchists who look to the pope and 
priests for support. Religiously they are bitterly di- 
vided into Catholics, Protestants and infidels of differ- 
ent shades. Each of these factions is seeking to de- 



96 



NOTES ON 



stroy the other. Babylon the great will be reduced 
to ashes, never to be resurrected again, by similar 
agencies, because both republicans and anarchists re- 
gard her as the stronghold and support of tyrants. 
For her fate see chapter 18, "And every island fled 
away and the mountains were not found." Mount- 
ains and islands both in this book and in the Old 
Testament, in figurative language, signify kingdoms, 
states, or governments. Hence in this revolution all 
present governments will disappear at least in those 
parts of the world where it is poured out. "There 
fell upon men a great hail out of heaven every stone 
about the weight of a talent." In all instances, 
thunder, lightning, hail, etc., imply a great political 
or other revolution involving great changes and loss 
of life, but here the stones are said to be about the 
weight of a talent. As a talent weighs about one 
hundred pounds, the hail foreshadows that the sup- 
porters of the old forms of government and the revo- 
lutionists will rain shot and shell of about that weight 
upon each other. That is the style of modern war- 
fare. It is said they blasphemed because of the ex- 
ceeding great hail. This likely will take the usual 
form in such times when desperate and reckless men 
come to the front and engage in a death struggle. 
Some deny there is any God, others charge their mis- 
fortunes to God, while those battling for defunct mon- 
archies and false religions claim they are fighting for 
God and his church which in most cases is a blas- 
phemous lie. This last plague apparently is inti- 
mately related to the battle of Armageddon, since at 
the latter the great standing armies will be shattered, 
the present great national debts doubled, homes deso- 
lated, fathers and sons slain, rulers discredited and 
charged with these calamities. Then the anarchists 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



97 



socialists and despisers of tyrants generally will find 
their long looked for opportunity. In the struggle 
the cities of the nations will be gutted, the rich plun- 
dered, national debts repudiated, and the seat of the 
popes and of tyrants for thousands of years leveled 
with the ground over which all heaven in prospect 
rejoices. 



HIS chapter is chiefly devoted to informing the 



prophet what the sights he had seen, in pre- 
vious chapters meant. The following explanations 
have been mostly made in previous chapters. 

Verses 1-6. And there came nnto me one of the 
seven angels which had the seven vials and talked 
with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will show 
unto thee the judgment of the great prostitute that 
sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of 
the earth have committed fornication and the inhabi- 
tants of the earth have been made drunk with the 
wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in 
the spirit into the wilderness and I saw a woman sit 
upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blas- 
phemy having seven heads and ten horns. And she 
was arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked 
with precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup 
in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her 
fornication. And upon her forehead was a name 
written. Mystery, Babylon the Great, the 
Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of 
the Earth. And I saw the woman drunk with the 
blood of the martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I 
wondered with great astonishment." When one re- 



CHAPTER XVII. 




98 



NOTES ON 



fleets it is a wonder and a mystery how a large part 
of the race have been enamored with this religious 
prostitute. If most of her pretensions and doctrines 
were not the height of absurdity, repugnant to com- 
mon sense and the Bible they might have some ex- 
cuse for being seduced by her fabrications and wiles. 
What a great change this woman has undergone 
since 300 A. D. when she first appeared clothed 
"with the sun and a crown of twelve stars on her 
head." Now she is seated on a scarlet colored beast 
clothed in scarlet and purple and the trappings of the 
world. And, instead of being persecuted by the 
dragon or his image she is firmly seated on the latter 
decked in the robes of royalty, glittering with jewel- 
ry, perfumed and rouged and a golden cup in her 
hand. And the royal beasts she directed with a firm 
hand had not for centuries nor have some of them 
yet, the courage or good sense of Balaam's ass to pro- 
test against such an usurpation. Nearly two thou- 
sand years ago the prophet in the vision saw her 
drunk with the blood of the saints, but the centuries 
have seen its literal fulfilment. No wonder the 
prophet was amazed at the sight for the whole world 
would be so if the scales were torn from their eyes. 

7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore dost 
marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman 
and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the 
seven heads and ten horns." 

8. The beast that thou sawest was and is not, 
and, shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into 
perdition and they that dwell on the earth shall won- 
der whose names are not written in the book of life 
from the foundation of the world when they behold 
the beast that was and is not and yet is. All this was 
shown the prophet four hundred years before the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



99 



Franks and Goths ascended out of the bottomless pit 
into the territory of the western empire, called the 
earth. Three hundred years after the ascension out 
of the pit the people of the earth saw a great wonder. 
They saw the old empire which was, and was not, for 
three hundred years and yet was restored in 800 by 
the two-horned and ten-horned. That was the em- 
pire implied by — "and yet is." It seems the word 
wonder, here is used in the sense of admiration. 
That is, those whose names were not written in the 
book of life admired the restoration of the empire by 
the Frank and the pope. 

9. And here is the mind that hath wisdom the 
seven heads are the seven mountains on which the 
woman sitteth." As the seven heads of the German 
empire were the seven electors, who chose the em- 
peror, the womon or Catholic church was more strict- 
ly seated on them, for many centuries than on the 
emperor as the latter was only the creature of the 
former, These seven most powerful states, are ac- 
cording to usage in the prophecy symbolically called 
"seven mountains." Mountains figuratively mean 
the same in every part of the book, signifying king- 
doms or states. Hence these electoral states were 
the seat of the church as well as of imperial authori- 
ty, and sitting on one or the other had substantially the 
same effect as the religion of all was that decreed 
from Rome. 

10. And there are seven kings, five are fallen and 
one is and the other is not yet come and when he 
cometh he must continue a short space." Here the 
angel was speaking of the forms of government 
"called kings," in the old Roman empire from its 
foundation till its fall. Five forms had fallen at the 
time the prophet lived and one, the imperial, was 



IOO 



NOTES ON 



then in force and the other or seventh came after his 
day for a very short time before the empire collapsed. 
The seventh is called by Roman historians the Pat- 
ricianate. These seven constituted the seven crowned 
heads of the dragon, see chapter 12. What, in the 
opinion of the writer constituted the Patricianate was 
the rule of one Ricimer, a German Sueve. About 
456 A. D. , he became the controlling spirit at the 
capital. Although he shrunk from having himself 
crowned emperor, he made and unmade several Caes- 
ars, but all the time was the power behind the throne. 
Twice when there was a vacancy for quite a period 
he ruled as a distinguished citizen, called a patri- 
cian. This man ruled in fact for about twenty years. 
He died about the time a youth called Augustulus 
was stuck up for Odoacer the German barbarian to 
knock down. That was the last of the old western 
empire. 

11. And the beast that was and is not even he is 
the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdi- 
tion." The sense in the first clause of this verse is 
the same as the last clause of the eighth verse, viz., 
the old empire which was and then was not for cen- 
turies, had seven governments in its history and the 
German Roman empire was the eighth numerically, 
but of the same kind as the fifth or imperial of the 
first empire which in due time will go to perdition or 
destruction like its predecessor. 

12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten 
kings which have received no kingdom as yet but re- 
ceive power as kings a short time with the beast." 
At the time the angel conveyed this information these 
modern kingdoms called ten horns seen in the head 
of the dragon and composing his image had no exist- 
ence, but in their formatory stage they were em- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



IOI 



braced as local sovereignties in the empire of the 
Franks for a short time. And as history shows, after 
that empire went to fragments the horns became in- 
dependent kingdoms. 

13-14. These have one mind and shall give their 
powder and strength unto the beast. These will make 
war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome 
them for he is Lord of lords and King of kings and 
they that are with him are called and chosen and 
faithful. For many centuries all these kingdoms had 
a common religious faith which was a part of a com- 
mon form of government. These common faiths and 
despotic governments practically constitute the beast 
and to this policy they lent their whole power and 
strength to crush everything antagonistic to it. That 
they made war on Christ in the person of his chosen 
and faithful needs not to be repeated. They have 
murdered tens of millions of the excellent of the 
earth being urged to it by the religious prostitute 
seated on their backs. But Christ will overcome and 
utterly destroy them from the face of the earth. 

15. And he saith unto me, The waters which 
thou sawest where the prostitute sitteth are peoples 
and multitudes and nations and tongues." Here you 
are informed what waters mean and here also you 
learn that the corrupt woman has millions of lovers 
all over the world. She has an income of three or 
four millions a year and tens of thousands more from 
gifts. Though many of her charms are marred and 
some of her old paramours have forsaken her, yet 
when clothed in purple and scarlet color, bedecked 
with precious stones, rouged and perfumed, 'the great 
men of the earth and the little men are dazzled by 
the splendor of her court and equipage, anxious to 
kiss her hand while humbly asking her smiles and 



102 



NOTES ON 



benedictions at her feet. My country what of thee? 

16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon 
the beast shall hate the prostitute and shall make her 
desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn 
her with fire." Although these kings and kingdoms 
allowed the corrupt church to saddle and sit on them 
for many centuries in harmony with the policy of the 
beast, since the Reformation several have got tired of 
their load and cast her off. Excepting Austria and 
Spain she seems to have more ardent lovers in Am- 
erica than elsewhere. Under the seventh plague, 
however, these nations will make her utterly desolate 
destroy her charms and burn her with fire. 

17. For God hath put it into their hearts to agree 
and give their kingdoms unto the beast until the 
the words of God shall be fulfilled." History shows 
these kingdoms followed a beastly policy, for centur- 
ies in common but in their last days as declared in 
the preceding verse they will utterly destroy what 
they formerly shed rivers of blood to uphold. 

18. And the woman which thou sawest is that 
great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth. ' ' 
By saying that the woman seated on many peoples* 
nations, tongues and kings, the angel furnished 
an additional clue to her identification. "And 
the woman is that great city which reigneth 
over the kings of the earth." Earth here as hereto- 
fore signifies the territory of the old empire. All 
well informed persons know that Rome and Rome 
only after a common form of speech has reigned over 
the kings and provinces of that part of the world for 
more than two thousand years. First she was the 
seat of the Caesars whose word was law and power ir- 
resistable. Second, the papacy from the barbarian 
invasion ruled over their kings up to modern times 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



and over most of them at the present hour. In lan- 
guage it is a common thing when speaking of the 
leading industry, business, institution or interest car- 
ried on in a place to refer to it as the act of the place 
or city. For illustration, we say Chicago handles 
more agricultural products than any other city in the 
country, Minneapolis makes more flour, Pittsburg 
manufactures more iron, Massachusetts more shoes 
and cotton goods, Wall street shapes the finances of 
the nation and Downing street of the world. What 
is meant and well understood is, the people en- 
gaged in these lines, in these places, do these things 
since the places or cities are inert matter without life 
action or intelligence. In the above sense and by 
such figurative speech, the woman decked in scarlet 
and trinkets with a fouled golden cup in her hand is 
called "That great city which reigneth over the 
kings of the earth." 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THIS chapter takes up the thread of history, brok- 
en off at chapter 16, and continues a description 
of the work of the seventh and last plague. It is 
wholly devoted to the utter and everlasting destruc- 
tion of Rome — that great city Babylon. It is in sub- 
stance as follows. A strong angel came down from 
heaven and the earth was lighted with his glory. 
He cried mightily "Babylon the great is fallen, is 
fallen and become the habitation of devils, of every 
foul spirit and unclean and hateful bird. For all na- 
tions have drunk of the wine of her fornication and 
the merchants of the earth waxed rich through the 
abundance of her delicacies. Another voice from 



104 



NOTES ON 



heaven said, "Come out of her my people that ye be 
not partakers of her sins or her plagues. For her 
sins hath reached unto heaven and God hath remem- 
bered her iniquities and for the cup she hath filled 
will fill to her double. As much as she hath gloried 
herself and lived deliriously so much torment and 
sorrow give her, for she saith in her heart, I am a 
queen and no widow and shall see no sorrow. There- 
fore shall her plagues come in one day; death, 
mourning and famine, and be utterly burned with 
fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 
The kings of the earth who committed fornication 
and lived deliriously with her shall bewail and la- 
ment her when they shall see the smoke of her burn- 
ing. Standing afar off for fear of her torment say- 
ing, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty 
city! for in one hour thy judgment is come. The 
merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her. 
Merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, 
fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all manner of vessels 
of ivory, of precious wood, brass, iron and marble, 
cinnamon odors, ointments, frankincense, wine, oil, 
fine flour, wheat, beasts and sheep, horses, chariots, 
slaves and the souls of men with all the fruits she 
lusted after shall be found no more in her. The mer- 
chants made rich by such traffic shall stand afar off 
for fear of her torment weeping and wailing, saying, 
Alas, alas that great city that was clothed in fine lin- 
en, purple and scarlet and decked with gold and prec- 
ious stones and pearls, for in one hour such great 
riches is come to naught. And shipmasters and sail- 
ors trading by sea stood afar off and cried when they 
saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is 
like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their 
heads and weeping and wailing, saying, Alas that 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



™5 



great city for in one hour is she made desolate. Re- 
joice over her thou heaven and ye holy apostles and 
prophets for God hath avenged you on her. And a 
mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone 
and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence 
shall that great city Babylon be thrown down and 
shall be found no more at all. And the voice of 
harpers, musicians and trumpeters shall be heard no 
more at all in thee and no craftsman whatsoever shall 
be found any more in thee nor the sound of a mill- 
stone. And the light of a candle shall shine no more 
in thee, neither shall the voice of the bridegroom nor 
of the bride be heard anymore in thee, for thy mer- 
chants were the great men of the earth and by thy 
sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was 
found the blood of saints and of prophets and of all 
that were slain upon the earth." The word earth is 
understood in the sense used in the prophecy. The 
declaration that "In her was found the blood of proph- 
ets and of saints and of all that were slain upon the 
earth" is strictly true. Rome was founded and built 
up in robbery and bloodshed. Of Rome it is said in 
the yth chapter of Daniel "Then I would know of 
the dreadful fourth beast whose teeth were of iron 
and nails of brass which devoured, brake in pieces, 
and stamped the residue of the nations under its feet." 
When mistress of the world Christianity was decreed 
unlawful, and from Christ's crucifiction until 312 
millions of Christains were slain by her. When she 
became nominally christian in 324 those who refused 
to accept the theological formulas decreed and ap- 
proved by her Csesars, were outlawed. After these 
popes became her oracles and seated themselves on 
the kings of the earth which had supplanted the Cse- 
sars and reigning over them instigated the semi- 



io6 



NOTES ON 



barbarians to deeds of cruelty and slaughter too hor- 
rible to relate because they could not believe she was 
infallible and delegated of heaven to rule over the re- 
ligious and political world. Therefore the blood of 
prophets and of saints and of all slain upon the Ro- 
man earth is either directly or indirectly traced to 
Babylon the great. § 



HIS chapter, as the reader may discover closes 



X. the career of the nations called prophetically 
the beast with ten horns and ten crowns upon his 
horns also that of the false and corrupt religious in- 
stitution associated with their governments called the 
"false prophet." 

Verses i-io. And after these things I heard a 
great voice of much people in heaven saying, Alle- 
luia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto 
the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his 
judgments for he hath judged the great prostitute 
which did corrupt the earth with her fornication. 
And hath avenged the blood of his servents at her 
hand. And again they said Alleluia and her smoke 
rose up forever and forever. And the four and twen- 
ty elders and the four creatures fell down and wor- 
shipped him that sat on the throne, saying, Amen, 
alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne saying, 
Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that fear 
him small and great. And I heard, as it were, the 
voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many 
waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings, say- 
ing, Alleluia for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth, 
let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for 



CHAPTER XIX. 




THE APOCALYPSE. 107 

the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath 
made herself ready. And to her it was granted that 
she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, 
for the white linen is the righteousness of the saints. 
And he saith unto me, write, Blessed are they who 
are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And 
he said unto me these are the true sayings of God. 
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And lie said 
unto me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow servant 
and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus, 
worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit 
of prophecy." What is said in the above is, first, 
there was great rejoicing in heaven over the destruc- 
tion of Babylon the great. That city more generally 
known by the name of Rome has been widely famed 
as the capital of the Caesars and the popes both of 
whom caused millions of true Christians to be put to 
death hence the rejoicing in heaven when reduced to 
ashes. And in due time the halleluias will be re- 
echoed from earth. Second, it is said, Let us be 
glad for the marriage of the Lamb is come, his wife 
(the true church) hath made herself ready clothed in 
linen clean and white — the emblem of purity. The 
angel which talked with John said he was one of 
these but unlike our modern christian popes, cardin- 
als, worshipfuls and lords, refused to be worshipped. 

Verses 11-21. And I saw heaven open and be- 
hold a white horse and he that sat upon him was 
called Faithful and True and in righteousness doth 
he judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of 
fire and on his head were many crowns and he had a 
name written that no one knew but himself. And 
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and he 
is called the Word of God. And the armies which 
were in heaven followed him upon white horses, 



io8 



NOTES ON 



clothed iii linen white and clean. And out of his 
mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should 
smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod 
of iron and he treadeth the winepress of the fierce- 
ness of the wrath of Almighty God. And he hath 
on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King 
of kings and Lord of lords. And I saw an angel 
standing in the sun and he cried with a loud voice to 
all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven saying, 
Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper 
of the great God. That ve may eat the flesh of kings 
and the flesh of captains and the flesh of migthy men 
and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them 
and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both 
small and great. And I saw the beast and the kings 
of the earth and their armies gathered together to 
make war on him that sat on the horse and against 
his army. And the beast was taken and with him 
the false prophet, that wrought miracles before him 
with which he had deceived them which had received 
the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his 
image. These both were cast alive into a lake burn- 
ing with fire and brimstone. And the remnant were 
slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, 
which sword proceeded -out of his mouth, and all the 
fowls were filled with their flesh." In seeking the 
meaning of what is said in these verses, it should be 
kept in mind that this prophecy, as in previous ones, 
the movements of angels and saints or other actors in 
heaven represent what men will do on the earth at 
the time the prophecy becomes a literal fact. It is 
heavenly acting, to show the general nature of some 
future act of men, just as the modern actor aims to 
reproduce on the stage some character or event of the 
past. While in the highest sense God rules the world 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



109 



and wicked nations are ruled with rigor, metaphori- 
cally called a rod of iron, but as the past proves, the 
the rod is commonly applied by human hands. And 
it occurs from causes so apparent, moral and political 
philosophers ascribe it all to natural causes. Though 
the destruction of the kings of the earth and their 
armies might appear to some to be the direct or mir- 
aculous work of Christ and his heavenly army, yet 
when it becomes history, like the previous downfall 
of nations, an earthly army will wield the sword. 
Here and in other scriptures the sword is used as a 
metaphor or comparison for the 4 'Word of God," one 
of Christ's titles. It should be remembered events 
described in this chapter are included in the seventh 
and last plague found in chapter 16 and is the clos- 
ing struggle in the greatest revolution since men were 
upon the earth in which the cities of the nations fall, 
kingdoms or present governments disappear, the city 
of Rome destroyed forever, the carcases of the kings 
of the earth and their armies given to the fowls which 
fly in the midst of heaven and the beast and the false 
prophet cast into a lake of fire and brimstone. As 
the kings with their despotic corrupt governments 
constitute the beast in the concrete, when they were 
slain the beast was virtually dead. And as the false 
prophet was supported and defended by these kings, 
he is said to have been seated on them, when they fell 
in battle the false prophet fell also. Previous to this 
the false prophet's capital had been burned and his 
so-called holy college or cabinet either killed or wan- 
dering fugitives, hence he was dead also. But to 
carry out the imagery and assure the world these cor- 
rupt institutions were no more they were dramatical- 
ly cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where 
nothing lives. It is said in chapter 17, the nations 



no 



NOTES ON 



called the ten horns of the beast would eventually 
hate the religious prostitute, burn her with fire and 
make her desolate." Here in the prophecy they did 
it, together with the kings on which she had been 
seated, as the established church par excellence. It 
is said in the text they were cast alive into the lake. 
That is in other words the evil genius in these cor- 
rupt state and religious institutions was active and vir- 
ulent up to the last struggle with the kings which 
for centuries had defended and enforced them by 
sword and faggot, but when the kings fell the whole 
system of falsehood, tyranny and corruption went in- 
to the lake of annihilation for want of a medium to 
operate through. The many crowns seen on Christ's 
head were doubtless those lost by the ten horns in 
the revolution. When these future events passed be- 
fore the prophet each scene put on the stage was fin- 
ished and all seemed in the present. In commenting 
upon them it is most convenient for the writer also 
to treat them as accomplished, but at the time seen 
and heard by the prophet none of them had become 
human history. Every army appointed of God to 
chastise or destroy wicked nations is his army. The 
future existence and righteous mission of this army 
is foreshadowed by the armies that were in heaven, 
following their captain with a sharp sword proceeding 
out of his mouth to smite the nations and rule them 
with a rod of iron. Perhaps it has been noticed, the 
angelic actors and nuncios in their missions to earth 
generally take their stand where the prophecy will 
find its fulfillment. That with their proclamation in 
great measure show the locality and nature of the vis- 
itation. For illustration in chapter 7 four angels im- 
personate Diocletion, Galerius, Maximian and Con- 
stantius, the four emperors ruling in Rome at the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



in 



same time, by standing on the four corners of the 
empire where these emperors had their seats of gov- 
ernment. A star falls from heaven in chapter 9 and 
was given the key of the bottomless pit. That star 
represented the emperor Valanse who held the key of 
the river Danube by his armies stationed on its south 
bank but he foolishly opened it to the Goths, who 
like a swarm of devouring locusts, ravaged his empire 
and overthrew the western half. In the same chap- 
ter, to indicate the locality where Mohammed got his 
first disciples and power, the four angels in the river 
Euphrates are loosed. And again in chapter 16 when 
that empire is exhausted and about to fall, an angel 
pours his vial on that river and the waters thereof 
are dried up. All through the prophecy this pecul- 
iar manner is seen. As France is the sun and center 
among the great powers of the Roman earth, the an- 
gel by taking his stand there showed the nation in 
which these kings would fight their last battle, — the 
most likely place on earth since that people during 
the last century have been either in a state of revolu- 
tion or on the verge of it. There after the fall of the 
old empire imperialism began and there it will end 
as here foreshadowed. At this very hour the ele- 
ment which will culminate in this revolution and 
wreck of dynasties is rapidly growing in every coun- 
try in the world. And the rich and ruling classes- 
are impelling it forward by class legislation, ty- 
rannical administration and extravagance while the 
great mass of mankind are eking out a scant}' exist- 
ence on a mere pittance, doing the hard drudgery and 
fighting the battles of the rulers and the rich. There 
is something peculiar in the phraseology of the last 
verse, which reads: And the remnant was slain by 
the sword of him that sat on the horse, which sword 



112 



NOTES ON 



proceeded out of his mouth." From common exper- 
ience and what precedes this event it is implied the 
great bulk of the armies of the kings were slain in 
batt e by the forces which overthrew the cities and 
kingdoms, described in chapters 16 and 18 under the 
last plague. In the battle of the great day of God 
Almighty under the sixth plague in which all the 
nations participated with their enormous military and 
naval establishments, in the fall of the cities and pres- 
ent governments of the nations, and in this last battle 
with the kings and old regime generally, in which 
the latter are annihilated, the loss of life must be be- 
yond human calculation. Yet it is reasonable to con- 
clude and following chapters prove, the earth or a 
great part of it will still be well populated. All men 
small and great doubtless means all' the army sup- 
porting the pretentions of the royalists and false 
prophet or corrupt church. By the terms beast and 
kings of the earth, it is implied that the center of the 
revolution and wreck of old hoary-headed corrupt in- 
stitutions will be among the ten German horns of the 
beast, though no such social, religious and political 
convulsion can occur on the globe without shaking 
and in a greater or less extent revolutionizing the 
whole world. Therefore by such a reading of the 
last verse it would indicate the remainder not slain in 
the foregoing long and bloody struggles, awed and 
conscience-stricken by the terrible judgments, seek 
safety in the Word of God which proceeded out of 
Christ's mouth. Millions of Christians, also who have 
not the mark of the beast, will doubtless be on earth. 
In a word, the close of this last battle with monarch- 
ies and corrupt churches will be the beginning of the 
Millennium. When this prophecy becomes history 
how will America be affected ? That can only be 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



conjectured from our character and relations to .the 
beast and false prophet. North and South Ameri- 
cans and other large sections of the world are descen- 
dants of the nations called the beast with ten horns. 
Their morals, religion, habits and literature are sub- 
stantially the same. It is true the offshoots of the 
old horns claim a great advance- in the theory of gov- 
ernment, but its administration shows a gradual re- 
turn to the old methods and maxims repudiated a 
century ago, while official and commercial morality 
are on the wane. Annually there is a great influx 
of population from the seat of the beast and false 
prophet. This has continued until 86 percent of the 
population of our large cities, consists of that class. 
Hence as the false prophet is getting unpopular at 
home he is greatly interested and elated, at present, 
over his American prospects. He has now more in- 
fluence with office seekers and party managers than 
all the true prophets put together. Why? Because 
he can deliver what the demagogue most desires — '■ 
votes. The true prophet cannot do this, first be- 
cause he does not care to, and second, if he did, little 
could be accomplished as his following is small. 
Wealth is concentrating, poverty multiplying as are 
also anarchists, socialists, atheists and infidels. A 
cry of discontent among the masses is heard on every 
hand. All that, besides much more, makes our like- 
ness to our ancestors striking. That being true as 
gospel, when the false prophet and all the beastly 
maxims and iniquities we have imported from the old 
regime are cast into a lake burning with fire and 
brimstone, how can America escape a scorching? 
Echo answers, how? , Evidently when the match is 
applied by that great city lk Sodom n and France, the 
explosion will shake all nations, because all are close- 



ii4 



NOTES ON 



ly related by commercial, religious or other inter- 
course, kinship or community of ideas and interests. 



J ERSES 1-3 And I saw an angel come down 



V from heaven having the key of the bottomless 
pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold 
on the dragon, that old serpent which is the Devil 
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. And 
cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and 
set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the na- 
tions no more until the thousand years should be ful- 
filled and after that he must be loosed a little season ." 
From this it appears the dragon still lives. In the 
1 2th chapter he made his appearance with seven 
heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his 
heads. In the comments on that chapter the dragon, 
serpent, etc., is viewed as the representative of pagan 
Rome, but as it is not expressly said in any of the 
prophecies the dragon means Rome, circumstantial 
evidence has to be relied upon to prove his identity. 
This is said by lawyers to be the best kind of evi- 
dence. Some of the evidence has been previously 
noticed but it may be briefly repeated. First, the 
seven heads with seven crowns upon them correspond 
to the seven forms of government of Rome during its 
history. Crowns are the emblems of sovereign au- 
thority and heads of government. Second, he ap- 
pears in his national colors — a great red dragon. Ro- 
man cohorts bore on their standards, historians tell 
us, the form of a great dragon painted red. Third, 
Rome was the fourth great ancient kingdom or em- 
pire, as shown by history and scripture. These were 



CHAPTER XX. 




THE APOCALYPSE. 



the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman. In the 
7th chapter of Daniel, the fourth, or Roman had ten 
horns in his head, representing, as it is explained in 
the prophecy, ten kingdoms which would rise after 
it. It is seen the dragon, serpent, devil and satan 
has a like number in his head, signifying a like num- 
ber of kingdoms that would follow his fall and they 
actually materialize in the 13th chapter. And the 
dragon, it is said in the 2nd verse of that chapter, 
gave him (the ten-horned beast) his power, seat and 
great authority. Also in Daniel, the ten horns or 
kingdoms inherit the power of the fourth or Roman. 
That proves conclusively that the dragon is identical 
with the fourth or Roman. Again, Christianity had 
its birth in the Roman empire and Christians were 
persecuted and killed nowhere else till centuries after 
the fall of that empire, because Christianity had not 
been preached anywhere else. In the two hundred 
and eighty years from the crucifixion of Christ till 
the overthrow of pagan rule in Rome, they murdered 
millions of Christians for their testimony of Jesus 
Christ. The acts ascribed to the dragon are substan- 
tially of the same murderous nature. After his over- 
throw and loss of power in the empire, it is said in 
chapter 12, verse 10, And I heard a loud voice say- 
ing in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength 
and the kingdom of our God and the power of his 
Christ. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down 
which accused them before God day and night. And 
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the 
word of their testimony and they loved not their lives 
unto death. This accords exactly with the history 
of the fourth or Roman power. Further proof is 
found in the order in which the kingdom of Christ 
stands to the dragonic and Roman kingdom. After 



n6 



NOTES, ON 



the fourth power and after the dragon, Christ's 
kingdom is the second, the German' kingdoms ap- 
pearing as an appendage to both which are succeeded 
by the kingdom of the saints.; History shows the 
German powers succeeded the -Roman, and prophecy 
shows the beast with ten liorns -and ten crowns on his 
horns inherited the ."power, seat and great authority" 
of the dragon. And as it is proven that the dragon 
is identical with the fourth or Roman, it logically fol- 
lows the ten-horned in chapter 13 with ten Crowns 
on the horns- represents the modern German powers. 
If a literal construction is put upon the form and acts 
of the dragon to prove him a personal, orthodox dev- 
il, satan, etc., then it would follow that the devil has 
seven heads and seven crowns upon his heads, with 
ten horns, a body like a huge red. serpent and a tail 
long enough and strong enough to "cast down a third 
part of the stars of heave^i to the earth, " winch he is 
said to have done. From what rs said in -different 
parts' of this prophecy, when: literally construed, the 
dragon, in the first instance, is the symbol of pagan 
Rome in particular as a nation and of paganism in 
general, religiously considered, with its cruel and 
abominable practices. For this reason the dragon is 
still represented malignant and active fifteen hundred 
years after Rome was blotted from the map of nations. 
A still more comprehensive definition may be given, 
by calling him the genius of all evil. One writer 
says "the love of money is the root of all evil" but as 
an undue love of money is covetousness, and covet- 
ousnesss is denned by another sacred . writer to be 
idolatry, therefore as the dragon represents idolatry 
and cognate crimes he is the root of all evil. By a 



THE APOCALYPSE. 117 

review of what occurs under the three last plagues it 
will be seen the great chain by which the idolatrous 
dragon will be bound in the bottomless pit is a chain 
of Circumstances as strong as fate, and such a review 
will further show the earth, previous to 'chaining -'the 

• devil had been, very, thoroug.lv purified from corrupt 
men and institutions of all kinds. - Strictly speaking 
that purification is the dragon's fetters. In the fifth 
plague the angel poured his, vial on the seat of the 
beast and his kingdom was full of darkness. What- 
ever hurts the beast hurts the corrupt woman or 
church drunk with the blood of the saints. When 

'.the beast lias a rough road the false prophet seated on 
him is shaken and terror-stricken. And as the beast 
and the false prophet, otherwise the lamb horned, are 
overthrown, as stated in the last chapter, and cast in- 
to a lake of fire, the dragon lost his best patrons, is 
left without, a medium through which to act for a 
thousand years. Their destruction forms the strong- 
est link, in the dragon's chain. Under the sixth 
plague Mohammedanism is "dried up" and the heath- 
en world shaken from center to circumference as by a 
thunder bolt and the utter worthless ness of their idols 
and idolatrous religious systems demonstrated to them. 
That will be another link, jn satan's-chain. In the 
fall of the cities of the nations and. corrupt govern- 
ments, the dragon's, great chain will be welded and 
very complete. Therefore in the light of these fore- 
shadowed events, the dragon, in figurative language, 
is said to be chained and a seal put upon him in the 
bottomless pit for a thousand years. Doubtless the 
inquiring mind would like to know where the bot- 
tomless pit is, or will be. In chapters 9, 11 and 17, 
the barbarian people, chiefly German, whose native 
region was north of the rivers Rhine and Danube, 



u8 



NOTES ON 



who overthrew the Roman empire in the fifth cen- 
tury are represented as ascending out of the bottom- 
less pit and in the 17th chapter it is said they shall, 
at the end of their career "go into perdition." 
Those regions were the bottomless pit in the fifth 
century and they will be substantially so in the twen- 
tieth century. There in those idolatrous countries 
extending into central Asia the idolatry devil will in 
a figure, be chained and inactive, but entirely and for- 
ever excluded from the country allotted to the resur- 
rected martyrs and restored Israel. During the thou- 
sand years the people, generally speaking, in that be- 
nighted region called the bottomless pit will make 
great progress in learning and religious knowledge, 
but as the sequel shows they will rise and fall like all 
the nations and races before them. They relapse 
again into idolatry with all its kindred crimes and 
meet the common fate of sinners. That relapse is 
called loosing the dragon or devil for a little season. 

Verses 4-9. And I saw thrones and they sat upon 
them and judgment was given unto them. And I 
saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the wit- 
ness of Jesus and for the word of God that had not 
worshipped the beast, neither his image neither had 
received his mark in their foreheads nor in their 
hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thou- 
sand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again 
until- the thousand years were finished, — This is the 
first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who hath 
part in the first resurrection, on such the second 
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of 
God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a 
thousand years. And when the thousand years are 
expired, satan shall be loosed out of his prison. And 
shall go out to deceive the nations in the four quar- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



II 9 



ters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them to- 
gether to battle, the number of whom is as the sand 
of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the 
earth and compassed the camp of the saints about and 
the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of 
heaven and devoured them. And the devil that de- 
ceived them was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone 
where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be 
tormented day and night forever and forever." It is 
plain from the text that this is an actual bodily res- 
urrection since it is said, "the rest of the dead lived 
not again until the thousand years were finished." 
Comment might make the text more obscure but not 
clearer. The remark, I saw the souls of them that 
had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the 
word of God, and which had not worshipped the 
beast neither his image, neither had received his 
mark in their foreheads nor in their hands, and they 
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years", also 
implies the first resurrection will be confined to the 
martyrs. The beast and his image, literally stated, 
means the old Roman empire and the German Rom- 
an empire established and modeled after the former 
in 800 A. D., and his mark, as previously noted, is 
an oath of loyalty or devotion to the latter, approving 
and aiding in the execution of his state policy and 
corrupt religious principles, see chapter 13. These 
martyrs suffered death at the hands of the beasts 
because they refused to conform to their tyrannical 
and false systems, bearing witness against them from 
the word of God. That excited the wrath of the 
beasts and the false prophet, hence wholesale murder 
continued for many centuries. Those desiring to 
know more about Gog and Magog than here found are 
ferrered to the 10th chapter of Genesis, verse 2, which 



120 



NOTES ON 



reads, The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog, 
Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras, And the 
sons of Gomer, A'skenas, Riphath and Togarmah. 
For more information about their descendants invad- 
ing the country of the righteous people, reference is 
made to the. 36 and 39 chapters of Ezekiel inclusive- 
ly. That the contents of these chapters, refer to the . 
same people, period and event as that briefly described 
in Revelations 20th chapter, is certain because the 
• invasion and fate of Gog and Magog in both, places is 
substantially the same, with this difference, Ezekial 
goes more; into detail and dwells chiefly on the charac- 
ter and condition of the twelve tribes of Israel, re- 
stored to the land promised to their fathers. . In the 
36th chapter, God, by the prophet, says to the Jews, 
I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk 
in my statutes and save you' from all your undeanness. 
The desolate land shall be tilled and become like the 
garden of Eden; chapter 37 foreshadows a resurrec- 
tion. In the vision he saw a shaking among- the drv-, 
bones of Israel, and they came together bone to his, 
bone and lo the boiies were covered with flesh. The 
breath of life entered -them 2nd they stood upon their 
feet an exceeding great army. Thus the house of Is- 
rael is represented as brought up out of their graves 
from among all the- nations where they had been 
scattered. Moreover, thus saith" the' Lord God, be- 
hold I will take the children of Israel from^amongr 
the heathen and bring them into their own land.. I. 
will make them one nation in the mountains .of Is- 
rael, one king shall be king to them all, neither , shall 
there be two kingdoms any more, neither shall they 
defile themselves any more with their idols .and de- 
testable things and they shall be my people and I will 
be their God. And David my servant shall be king 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



121 



over them and they shall have one shepherd. They 
shall dwell in the land I have given my servant Ja- 
cob, and shall dwell therein, even they and their 
children and their children's children forever. I will 
set my sanctuary in the midst of them forever more. " 
There is nothing in history to show the foregoing 
has yet come to pass. Palestine is still lying waste 
and the Jews scattered through every country. And 
when it does come to pass it must be something very 
different than that "spiritual awakening among the 
churches" which rounds out so many periods in the 
pulpit. 

The 38-39 chapters deal with Gog and Magog. 
"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 
Son of man set thy face against Gog, the land of Ma- 
gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal and 
prophesy against him. And say thus saith the Lord 
God, I am against thee O Gog, the chief prince of 
Meshech and Tubal. I will turn thee back and put 
hooks into thy jaws; I will bring thee forth and all 
thine army, horses and horsemen, — Persia, Ethiopia 
and Libya with them; Gomer and all his bands, and 
many people with thee. After many days thou shalt 
be visited, in the latter years thou shalt come into 
the land that is brought back from the sword against 
a people brought forth out of the nations, and they 
shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend 
and like a cloud, cover the land, and all thy bands 
and many people with thee. Thou shalt think an 
evil thought and say, "I will go up to the land of 
unwalled villages, to them that are at rest, that dwell 
safely all of them, without walls and having neither 
bars nor gates, to take a prey and a spoil from the 
people gathered out of the nations, who have gotten 
cattle and goods dwelling in the midst of the land. 



122 



NOTES ON 



Art thou come to take a spoil ? hast thou gathered 
thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and 
gold, cattle and goods a great spoil ? Thus saith the 
Lord God, in that day when my people of Israel 
dwelleth safely shalt thou not know it? And thou 
shalt come from thy place out of the north parts and 
many people with thee, a mighty army, against my 
people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land. It 
shall be in the latter days. And it shall come to 
pass at the same time, saith the Lord God, that my 
fury shall come up in my face. Surely in that day 
there shall be a shaking in the land of Israel. I will 
call for a sword against him in all my mountains, 
every man's sword shall be against his brother. I 
will plead against him with pestilence and with blood. 
And I will rain upon him and his bands and the 
many people with him, an overflowing rain, great 
hailstones, fire and brimstone. Thus will I magnify 
myself in the eyes of many nations and they shall 
know that I am the Lord." The above is the sub- 
stance of these chapters and seems a detailed state- 
ment of what is said in a couple of verses in Revela- 
tions, chapter 20. The next chapter contains a de- 
scription of the slaughter of the immense host with 
Gog and Magog, and the time and measures required 
to cleanse the land from their remains, see Ezekiel 
chapter 40, which concludes as to Israel, "Neither 
will I hide my face any more from them for I have 
poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith 
the Lord God." Some think the resurrection pre- 
dicted by the prophet is figurative, signifying a re- 
vival of Christianity among the Jews. Apparently 
it will be a great revival and a permanent one. 
They are brought up out of their graves from among 
all the nations where dispersed. Not a few, but the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



whole house of Israel into their own land given unto 
Jacob their father, they are saved from all their sins 
and the spirit of God poured out upon them, they 
are no more to be two nations. David is to be their 
prince forever. That sounds like a very general and 
permanent revival. David has been dead about 3000 
years, how can he reign forever over the twelve tribes 
unless raised from the dead? Possibly, as Christ is 
called the Son of David, he is meant, if so, Christ 
will reign over them as he will reign over the resur- 
rected martyrs in some portion of the earth a thou- 
sand years previous to the resurrection of the rest of the 
dead. As Palestine and southern Europe are both parts 
of the old Roman earth where most of the martyrs were 
slain for the witness of Jesus and the word of God, 
the reconstructed kingdom of Israel may occupy Pal- 
estine and the martyrs the country formerly ruled 
over by the dragon, his image and the beast with two 
horns like a lamb but spake as a dragon which would 
be poetic justice. That south and western Europe 
will afford room for more population and require an- 
other government then is plain, since the beast and 
false prophet had been cast into a lake burning with 
fire and brimstone, their supporters slain, their car- 
casses given to beasts of prey, and the dragon chained 
in the bottomless pit outside that country. Who can 
have as good a right to it as those who died there for 
the truth? None. Probably according to current 
notions the account in Ezekiel seems inconsistent 
with that future spiritual and angelic state so often 
eloquently pictured by spiritualists, orthodox and 
heterodox. Adam and Eve dressed the garden of 
Eden and ate of the fruits when, as it is alleged, they 
were in an immortal state before they sinned. Christ 
ate several times with his disciples after his resurrec- 



124 



NOTES OX 



tion. In Luke 24th chapter 42-43 verses we read, 
"And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and of a 
honey comb. And he took it and did eat before 
them." Angels dined with Abraham under the tree. 
All paradises, past or future, are represented as well 
stocked with fruit trees, in some cases yielding fresh 
fruit every month. The fact that Palestine in its 
abundance and wealth is given to the twelve tribes 
and their children's children forever, does not prove 
they will raise children forever, because all people, 
since Adam and Eve, are children of children's child- 
ren. And when people eat and clothe and make 
themselves useful in cultivating the ground, cattle 
and goods are a counterpart. Man was made with a 
body and when alive will always have one, requiring 
a firm footing and some useful occupation instead of 
flying around the universe as some fancy. As was 
Christ after his resurrection so will those be who are 
raised to immortal life through him. The word Is- 
rael, however, may be used in a moral and spiritual 
sense. The apostle says, "They are not all Jews who 
are so outwardly by natural descent and circumcision. 
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcis- 
ion that of the heart in the spirit whose praise is not 
of men but of God." As Israel and Jew are used in 
the same sense Ezekiel's restored Israel may embrace 
those saved out of every nation through Christ and 
included in the first resurrection. That class would 
constitute the whole house of spiritual Israel. Which 
of the modern nations are most likely the direct de- 
scendents of Gomer and Magog ? Ezekiel mentions 
four of the seven sons of Japheth and one grandson, 
whose descendants would, in the latter days, invade 
the country of the righteous people to rob them. 
These are Gomer, Magog, Tubal, Meshech, and To- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



garmah, the latter the son of Gomer. The other 
brothers are not included by name in the Gomer and 
Magogf band of robbers. As the latter are said to 
have come from the "north quarters of the earth," it 
is probable the descendants of the others immigrated 
into southern and western Europe and eastward into 
northwestern India and adjacent regions while the de- 
scendants of Gomer and Magog, called by the an- 
cients, Gog and Magog, occupied the country about 
the Caspian sea and westward north of the Black sea 
to the Baltic sea and Danube river, now included in 
the Russian and Austrian empires. The people in 
these north quarters formerly known as Scythian bar- 
barians, have made a pastime for centuries in killing 
and robbing the Jews. The Russian Magog is at 
it yet. That northern region extending into central 
Asia to the country of the Tartars was the bottomless 
pit in the fifth century and will be substantially so in 
the twentieth century. That's the place the dragon 
devil will be chained for a period called a thousand 
years. But at the end of that time they fall again 
into idolatry and take up again the role of freeboot- 
ers and murderers for which their ancestors were 
noted. By venturing upon the breadth of the Roman 
earth, "compassing the camp of the saints about and 
the beloved city, fire came down from God out of 
heaven and devoured them." After the descendants 
of Gomer and Magog and the idolatrous people led 
by them were devoured, as seen in the prophecy, the 
last nail was driven in the coffin of the dragon, since 
these nations were the last idolaters on earth. 
When the beast and false prophet were cast into the 
lake he lost his best patrons and, in a figure, was 
chained in the country of Gog and Magog. That, to 
use a modern phrase, was his last ditch and when 



126 



NOTES ON 



Magog fell the dragon went into the lake like his 
best patrons where eternal night closed upon him. 
Why? Because there was no human agency left for 
him to act through, hence dead. It is said he "was 
cast where the beast and false prophet are." That 
implies he suffered the same fate. By common con- 
sent a beast, or the beast, in the book of Daniel and 
here is used as the symbol of the four great empires 
and the German empire, and kingdoms which rose 
on the ruins of the Roman empire. But as the Ger- 
man empire split into ten kingdoms, the symbolic 
use of the word slightly changed into an abstract idea 
or principle signifying the character of the ten king- 
doms, into which the original undivided beast was 
constructed. When that occurred the ten horns or 
kingdoms constituted the life and executive functions 
of the beast the latter an abstract civil and relig- 
ious principle and the horns the beast defacto. The 
false prophet is also an abstract principle, since there 
has been millions of false prophets. He, to use the 
personification in the text, is the symbol of the whole 
body and machinery of a corrupted Christianity in 
which his life and executive functions are found. 

Such institutions, doctrines or principles can be de- 
stroyed from the face of the earth but cannot be tor- 
mented, in the literal sense of the term, in a lake of 
fire or anywhere else. The word torment, common- 
ly called pain, the usual cause of death, seems to be 
used in the sense of death, its effect. Such usage is 
frequent. All deadly poisons and maladies are often 
referred to as death or labeled with death's head. In 
the same way paganism or the dragon, serpent devil, 
is said to be tormented forever and forever when the 
meaning is, death the effect of torment forever and 
forever. Of this usage an illustration is found in 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



127 



chapter 19 verse 3 where it is said the smoke of Baby- 
lon the great "rose up forever and forever." Plain- 
ly speaking no city could furnish combustible matter 
to cause smoke to rise from it forever. Here the ef- 
fect is meant by an allusion to the cause, yet the 
sense is clear, which is, the city rose up in smoke 
and was destroyed forever and forever. In chapter 
12 the great red dragon satan makes his advent as the 
symbol of pagan Rome, as a kingdom, and of pagan- 
ism in general, with seven heads and ten horns and 
seven crowns on his heads. There is no intimation 
in the book that the dragon at the time he was cast 
into the fire had changed his form and nature. The 
meaning of the imagery employed in the prophecy 
never changes. If that were not so, nothing could 
be knowm or even conjectured what it did mean, 
which would entirely defeat the object of the revela- 
tion. When the image of the beast comes on the 
stage to act his part he must come with his seven 
heads and ten horns and ten crowns on his horns; a 
body like a leopard, feet like a bear and a mouth like 
a lion. Also the hypocrite called the beast with two 
horns like a lamb and spake as a pagan, called the 
false prophet when appearing on the scene as a mir- 
acle performer to deceive those who had the mark of 
the beast, must appear in that form every time. If 
that was not true how could the prophet recognize 
them at their successive appearances in the historical 
scenes? The same with the dragon. His heads, 
crowns and horns went into the lake with him. 

Verses 11— 15. And I saw a great white throne and 
him that sat 011 it from whose face the earth and the 
heaven fled away and there was found no place for 
them. And I saw the dead small and great stand be- 
fore God and the books were opened and another 



128 



NOTES ON 



book was opened which is the book of life, and the 
dead were judged out of those things written in the 
books according to their works. And the sea gave 
up the dead which were in it and death and hell gave 
up the dead which were in them. And they were 
judged every man according to their works. And 
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This 
is the second death. And whosoever was not found 
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of 
fire." Likely the expression 4 'and the books were 
opened" figuratively implies that every man's record 
is known to God as perfectly as if recorded in a book 
and there will be no mistaking the bad for the good, 
as signified by the book of life — a strictly separate 
account. In the next chapter verse 8, the class not 
found in the book of life, are "the fearful and unbe- 
lieving and the abominable and murderers and whore- 
mongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, shall 
have their portion in the lake which burneth with 
fire and brimstone which is the second death." The 
w 7 ord hell is used four times in the book and always 
in the sense of the Grave. And as Death in effect 
supplies the grave with its victims it is in each in- 
stance connected with it. In chapter i, verse 18, 
Christ said "I have the keys of hell and of death." 
That is I am the resurrection from the grave and the 
life from death. Again in chapter 6, verse 8, we 
read, And I looked and behold a pale horse and his 
name that sat on him was Death and Hell followed 
with him. And power was given unto them over the 
fourth part of the earth to kill with sword and with 
hunger and with death and with the beasts of the 
earth." Here we find a pale horse with Death for a 
rider, followed by hell or the grave used symbolically 
to represent great loss of human life, first by the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



129 



sword or war; second, by famine or hunger; third, by 
death or pestilence and lastly by the beasts of the 
earth." The prophecy was fulfilled in the reign of 
the emperor Aureiius and the fatalities from the 
plague, famine and the beasts of the earth were most- 
ly confined to the Italian fourth part of the empire. 
Beasts of the earth, meaning the cruel pagans of the 
empire, who massacred the Christains as a sacrifice 
to appease the wrath of the offended gods. The 
grave called hell swallowed the victims from all 
causes. See remarks on that chapter. In the text 
under consideration, Death and Hell give up their 
dead to be arraigned in judgment. As immortal life 
succeeds the judgment, death and hell can no longer 
exist hence to show us they are everlastingly de- 
stroyed they are symbolically cast into the lake of 
fire where nothing survives. The apostle says the 
last enemy which shall be destroyed is death. ll O 
death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy vic- 
tory?" These comments need not be extended since 
everybody knows what is meant by death and the 
grave and they also know nothing more can be 
meant by casting them into the lake of fire than to 
figuratively signify their forever and forever destruc- 
tion. It is added — This is the second death. In 
other words the lake of fire and brimstone means the 
same as the second death. Here we see death to 
Death. Those not found written in the book of life 
have also their portion in the lake of fire and brim- 
stone, and in their case as in that of death and hell, 
it is added — "Which is the second death." It is not 
necessary to pursue this inquiry any further. The 
reader can form his own conclusions from what pre- 
cedes. By taking for a standpoint the period in the 
"world's history to which this chapter relates and 



NOTES ON 



looking back to the 16th chapter, it is thought the 
Divine purpose is very clearly outlined. That pur- 
pose is to cleanse the earth from sin, with all its sin- 
ful institutions, instrumentalities and effects. This 
in a figure was shown to the prophet and is shown to 
us, by casting all of them in succession, into a lake 
burning with fire and brimstone, called the second 
death. As a symbol such a lake is well suited to 
convey the idea of their annihilation, as in a literal 
sense nothing can live in such a place. This fact 
suggests its figurative use to imply the everlasting 
death of everything thrown into it. But it is said, 
u Blessed and holy is he who hath part in the first 
resurrection for on such the second death hath no 
power." In speaking of the consummation of this 
great scheme of redemption through Christ, the apos- 
tle says in ist Corinthians, chapter 15 verses 21-28, 
"For since by man came death, by man came also 
the resurrection of the dead. * * * But every 
man in his own order, Christ the first fruits, after- 
wards they that are Christ's at his coining. Then 
cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the 
kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall 
have put down all rule and all authority and power. 
For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under 
his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is 
death. For he has put all things under his feet, but 
when he saith all things are put under him, it is 
manifest that he is accepted which did put all things 
under him. And when all things shall be subdued 
unto him, then shall the Son also he himself be sub- 
ject unto him, that put all things under him, that 
God may be all in all." That scripture agrees with 
the plan here symbolically unfolded. 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

IT IS SAID in the eleventh verse of the last chap- 
ter, "The earth and the heaven fled away from the 
face of him that sat on the throne." And the proph- 
et says in the ist verse of this chapter, "And I saw a 
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and 
the first earth were passed away and there was no 
more sea." This is strong language yet from the 
higfhlv figurative character of the book it mav not lit- 
erally mean the entire flight of the earth or of the 
surrounding heaven. In other parts of the book the 
sun becomes black as sackcloth of hair, the moon 
turns to blood, the heaven is rolled up like a scroll 
and the stars fall from heaven like untimely figs when 
shaken by a mighty wind. Mountains and islands 
flee away and are not found, yet none of these heav- 
enly or earthly bodies literally underwent these 
changes but moved on in their orbits or stood in their 
places as usual. What application could be given to 
the remark, "And there was no more sea" if the 
whole earth had disappeared? Nothing is said in the 
scriptures about a previous sea of water in heaven or 
anywhere else save on our earth. The second verse 
reads "And I John saw the holy city new Jerusalem 
coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a 
bride adorned for her husband." 3. "And I heard 
a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold the taber- 
nacle of God is with men." Here we learn the new 
Jerusalem, or tabernacle of God comes down from 
heaven to men, instead of men going up somewhere 
to it, as commonly represented. Most probably the 
idea is best expressed in verse 5, which reads as fol- 
lows, "And he that sat upon the throne, said, Behold 
I make all things new." Among the things said to 



J 32 



NOTES ON 



be made new is man, yet in that renewal he does not 
loose his bodily identity. The old man, so to speak, 
constitutes the germ or foundation of the new resur- 
rected man. Christ rose from the dead with the same 
body in which he had lived for over thirty years. 
This he proved by calling attention to the wounds it 
still bore from his late crucifixion. And it is said by 
the apostle kk If we bear the image of the earthly we 
shall bear the image of the heavenlv." In the gen- 
eral scheme of redeeming the earth from the curse in- 
flicted for man's transgressions, it may be made anew 
in the sense man is made anew, fitted for the new life 
of its immortal inhabitants. The three-fourths of 
the globe's surface now covered with water, and the 
large portion of the remainder now deserts, swamps, 
bleak mountains or locked in eternal snow and ice, 
all transformed into fruitful fields, intersected by run- 
ning brooks, fed by everlasting springs it would fur- 
nish plenty of room and plenty to eat, if they did eat, 
for fifty billions of people. Let us suppose the aver- 
age population of the earth for six thousand years 
has been 300,000,000. That seems liberal since all 
descended from a single pair and at the end of about 
1700 years, they were all drowned save eight persons. 
Every hundred years 900,000,000 would die since 
they have been very industrious in killiug each oth- 
er from the first. Now multiply 900,000,000 by 60 
centuries and we have 54,000,000,000, the whole race 
since Adam and Eve, good, bad and indifferent. In 
the recollection of the writer the population of the 
earth was estimated at 1,000,000,000. A great fuss 
has been made about the Roman empire embracing 
the whole world. Historians estimate its population 
never exceeded 80,000,000 not one fourth the num- 
ber Queen Victoria rules over. By authorities we 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



*33 



are informed there are 150,000,000 geographical 
square miles in the earth's surface. A population of 
300 to the square mile would afford room exactly for 
45,000,000,000. England has a population of about - 
450 to the square mile and Belgium about 600. Some 
idea of the bountiful ness of the renewed earth may 
be gathered from what is said in chapter 22, verses 
1-2 which reads "And he showed me a pure river of 
water, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne 
of God and the Lamb. And in the midst of the 
street (of the new city) and on either side of the river 
was there the tree of life, which bears twelve man- 
ner of fruits and which yielded her fruit every month 
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the 
nations." According to the account in Genesis the 
fruit of the tree of life in the garden possessed the 
property of perpetuating life without end even after 
the transgression which made it necessary to drive 
the first pair out of the garden, away from the tree of 
life, lest they should by eating its fruit live forever. 
The new Jerusalem, typified by old Jerusalem, seems 
to be the destined capital where the great king will 
plant his tabernacle forming the central light and 
glory of it, while the whole of the fruitful earth may 
be occupied by its immortal citizens. Christ told his 
disciples that in his kingdom they should sit on twelve 
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel and "that 
they should eat at his table." In the 24th and 25th 
verses of this chapter it is implied that the city is 
only a central place illuminated by Divine light 
while outside its limits kings and nations exist. We 
read, "And the nations of them that are saved shall 
walk in the light of it and the kings of the earth do 
bring their glory and honor unto it. And they shall 
bring the glory and honor of the nations unto it." 



134 



NOTES ON 



The substance in these last two chapters is elo- 
quently expressed in parts of the two old hymns as 
follows: 

There is a land of pure delight, 
Where saints immortal reisfti: 

Infinite day excludes the night, 
And pleasures banish pain. 

O the transporting rapturous scene 

That rises to my sight, 
Sweet fields arrayed in living green 

And rivers of delight. 

O'er all those wide extended plains, 

Shines one eternal day, 
There God the Son forever reigns, 

And scatters night away. 

No chilling winds or poisonous breath 
Can reach that healthful shore; . 

Sickness, sorrow, pain and death 
Are felt and feared no more. 

That the saints will inherit and rule over the 
earth is a prominent Bible doctrine. In the 5th chap- 
ter, verses 9-10, the elders and saints strike their 
harps and sing a new song saying, l Thou wast slain 
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of 
every nation, kindred, people and tongue. And 
hast made us unto our God, kings and priests and. we 
shall reign on the earth." In the 2nd chapter of 
Daniel the feet and toes of the great image seen by 
king Nebuchadnezzar in his sleep, represented the 
present great powers, the successors of Rome signi- 
fied by the iron legs of the image. A stone cut out 
without hands smote the image on the feet brake it. 
to pieces and it was carried away like chaff of the 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



1 35 



summer's threshing floor. But the stone became a 
great mountain and filled the whole earth. Daniel's 
interpretation of the dream to the king is, "In the 
days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a 
kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kino-- 
dom shall not be left to other people, but it shall 
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and 
it shall stand forever." In the seventh chapter of 
the same book the same is predicted in a different 
form . The prophet watched the ten kingdoms signi- 
fied by the ten horns in the fourth Roman beast from 
their appearance till their overthrow. And more 
particularly the eleventh which came up last and 
plucked three of the first ten up by the roots, because 
of the great words which it spake. He beheld until 
this last beast of a kingdom was slain and given to 
the burning flame, while the remaining seven had 
their dominion taken away, yet their lives as nations 
were prolonged for a season and time." In the vis- 
ion he beheld one like the Son of man come with 
the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days, and 
they brought him near before him and there was 
given him dominion and glory and a kingdom that 
all people, nations and languages should serve him, 
his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall 
not pass away and shall not be destroyed." It is 
further said of the blasphemous braggart that came 
up last which evidently is Austria, He shall subdue 
three kings and speak great words against the Most 
High shall wear out the saints of the Most High, 
and think to change times and laws. * * But the 
judgment shall sit and they shall take away his do- 
minion to consume and destroy it unto the end. And 
the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the 
kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to 



NOTES ON 



the people of the saints of the Most High, whose 
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions 
shall serve and obey him." Christ said "Blessed are 
the meek for they shall inherit the earth/' How 
can they inherit save in the above sense? A great 
deal more scripture might be produced to the same 
effect, but the foregoing is sufficient It is not only 
scriptural, but good sense and justice since it would 
be a reflection on Divine justice and goodness to per- 
mit corrupt tyrants, false prophets and sinners gener- 
ally to rule and ravage the planet forever while the 
poor the weak and the righteous are made a prey. 
The scriptures generally as well as enlightened reason 
point to a better era when the righteous shall rule 
the earth. Now and in past centuries many have 
asked when will that be? There is no data found in 
the scriptures by which the time can be known with 
a mathematical certainty. Numerous writers have 
displayed great industry in attempts to solve this 
problem from certain periods mentioned in the book 
of Daniel, but the period when these began is very 
obscure. And it is very certain that if you begin 
wrong you will end wrong. The book of Revela- 
tions was written about six hundred years later and 
largely relates to the rise, character and acts of mod- 
ern nations. Well authenticated history throws a 
calcium light on its pages. Admitting the time -stat- 
ed a nation shall endure, previous to some other great 
event, is correctly understood, the difficulty still re- 
mains unless the beginning of that period is clearly 
marked. For illustration, let the rise of the Franks 
to a great power in France be cited. That people 
and kindred tribes prophetically called a beast with 
ten horns, occupy much space in this book. When 
they seized France in the latter part of the fifth cen- 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



137 



tury it was. divided into two or three kingdoms. 
There were also some districts ruled over by inde- 
pendent Dukes. In 700 A. D. one Pepin le Gros, 
Duke of Austrasia and Mayor of the palace or prime 
minister as the English call the office, united the two 
kingdoms Austrasia and Neustria into one, while the 
territory of the Dukes was held to be within the 
limits of the new kingdom. If the period of dura- 
tion as understood is added to 700 those nations 
which afterwards rose out of the empire of the Franks 
will have reached their end in i960. Charles M artel 
still further enlarged the dominions of the Franks. 
He died in 741 when his son, Pepin le Bref inherited 
his honors and offices. He was more fortunate in his 
conquests than his predecessors. Forming an alli- 
ance with the church he and the pope conspired to 
depose the nominal king. The scheme succeeded 
and Pepin was crowned king in 751. Now the king- 
dom of the Franks assumed the proportions of an em- 
pire. Pepin died in 768 and was succeeded by his 
son Charles, called the great. He rounded out the 
empire, being crowned king of the Romans by the 
pope in 800. But take notice, the prophet saw the 
beast first rising, then followed him till he reached 
his meridian splendor in 800. In the Divine mind 
that power may have reached a degree of importance 
among petty kings and dukes to be truly a rising 
power before 700. No man can tell exactly till the 
hour of their death has arrived. Though the above 
is generally true respecting future events, described 
in the prophecy, there seems to be one exception. 
From certain times given and other lights, historic 
and prophetic, the destruction of the Turkish empire 
will be complete in 1900, less than five years hence. 
Its destruction and the quarrel among all the prin- 



138 



NOTES ON 



cipal nations of the earth about the division of its ter- 
ritory and kindred questions involves consequences 
eclipsing everything, so far, in our era. Judging 
from the terms of the prophecy and the political sit- 
uation, the fall of the Roman empire and all previous 
great wars will be thrown into the shade. Whether 
the above time is exactly correct or not the conse- 
quences when it does happen will be the beginning 
of the rapid decline of most, if not all, of the present 
great beliggerent powers. Likely some of them be- 
sides the Turks will go down in the struggle. Then 
will follow the rapid growth of socialism, culminat- 
ing in the utter overthrow of all political and reli- 
gious oligarchies as shown by their being l 'cast into 
a lake of fire and brimstone." However, the end of 
these nations in the light of this prophecy, is not the 
end of the world as some seem to think. On the 
contrary it is the begining of a more auspicious per- 
iod, during which men will serve and worship the 
Creator instead of the creature, when the weak na- 
tions, now called heathen, will have an extended 
probation, to develope in mind and morals, when a 
righteous kingdom will shine like a great beacon 
light in the earth, where the beast, false prophet and 
the dragon now spread darkness, idolatry, wicked- 
ness and spiritual death. Nations belonging to all 
the different races, in their turn, have risen to power 
on the ruins of their predecessors, and modern na- 
tions dominating over the rest of mankind, must in a 
comparatively short time be the ruins on which no- 
bler social and moral structures will rise. 

The plan evolved from Genesis to Revelations 
seems to be this: Man when made was pure, capable 
of moral acts. If a creature impelled by some exter- 
nal force or internal impulse in a given line of conduct 



THE APOCALYPSE. 



*39 



he would have been on a plane with the lower ani- 
mals, a creature of fate or instinct. Therefore to be 
responsible for his acts as a man he could not have 
been endowed otherwise than he was. He chose to 
disobey and death was the penalty. Though violence 
.and wickedness soon prevailed in the earth God's 
purpose to people it with a righteous nation was only 
•delayed, not defeated. All along down the ages many 
believed God, in the practical sense of the word, and 
their faith was counted to them for righteousness. 
They slept with their fathers but they will all awake to 
life again. Christ was born of a woman of the line 
of Judah. He made known to men their duty to 
God and their neighbor and sealed his testimony with 
his life. His spiritual constituents, while on earth, 
were few. Therefore he ascended to heaven till his 
loyal, tried subjects would multiply into tens of mil- 
lions. God is eternal. The ages mature his plans. 
Countless multitudes in passing centuries have prov- # 
<en their devotion to the truth of Christ by confirming 
their testimony with their blood that they might ob- 
tain a more glorious resurrection to immortal life. 
These are the righteous nation that will "inherit the 
.earth" over whom the Son who is heir to the throne 
•of Spiritual Israel will reign. Of them it is said, 
"And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand 
years, but the rest of the dead lived not again until 
■the thousand years were finished." 





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